Just under a week before the state elections in Brandenburg, SPD Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke is receiving support from Saxony's CDU head of government Michael Kretschmer. Kretschmer is hoping for a victory for the SPD politician: "It is important that the first political force in this country is a democratic party that has given this country stability for over 34 years," said Kretschmer at a joint meeting in Cottbus. "We have to stick together." At a time when many people are unsettled and worried, "we need islands of reliability".
Kretschmer: No dissent
Kretschmer then referred first to Brandenburg's CDU state and parliamentary group leader Jan Redmann, who is the lead candidate. "The fact that I am of course also doing this for and with my friend from the CDU, Jan Redmann, I don't think will surprise anyone. There's no disagreement there either." Redmann wants to become Minister President and succeed Woidke. In the most recent polls, however, the CDU was well behind the AfD and SPD.
Redmann does not see Kretschmer's comments as an advertisement for an SPD election victory. "He supports us very much and wants a strong result for the CDU Brandenburg," he said. "In this respect, take his statement - and I think that's how he wanted it to be understood - as a vote, as a petition for the democratic center." The CDU has also contributed to giving the state stability over the past 34 years.
A new state parliament will be elected in Brandenburg on September 22. While a current Brandenburg trend for ARD by Infratest dimap puts the AfD at 27%, just ahead of the SPD at 26%, the ZDF Politbarometer by Forschungsgruppe Wahlen puts the AfD at 29%, ahead of the SPD at 26%. The CDU achieves 16% in the ARD poll and 15% in the Politbarometer. Woidke only wants to remain in government if the SPD wins the election.
