9.30 p.m.: After the show is before the fact check
As with the BR24 election arenas in recent weeks, there will also be a fact check on the exchange of blows between Markus Söder and Ludwig Hartmann – the BR24 Fact Fox will then appear on Thursday. Tomorrow evening, the top candidates of the other four parties represented in the state parliament will discuss from 8:15 p.m.: Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters), Martin Böhm (AfD), Florian von Brunn (SPD) and Martin Hagen (FDP).
And with that we end this ticker – thanks for reading and watching.
9:22 p.m.: Education – Söder satisfied, Hartmann not
Given the shortage of teachers in Bavaria, Hartmann gives the state government a grade of 4 or 5 – while many teachers earned a 1. According to the Green politician, the course should have been set differently earlier in education policy. The last reserves have already been planned for the new school year. Hartmann accuses the state government of lacking foresight. Education is the “most important raw material we have in the country and we should do much better.”
Söder replies that Bavaria deserves a “pretty good” grade thanks to its placements in educational rankings. The need for teachers has increased due to the “enormous increase in children”. Bavaria is doing “everything to get more” – for example with lateral entrants and better pay than in other federal states. In this way, the Free State is also recruiting teachers in Germany.
9.15 p.m.: Heated debate also on the subject of housing
The next topic: Housing and apartments. Prime Minister Söder explains that they will achieve their own goals for state housing construction by 2025. Moderator Christian Nitsche previously pointed out that Söder announced 10,000 affordable apartments for Bavaria five years ago. However, the state housing company “BayernHeim” could only show 682 by the end of 2024. Söder also admits in his answer: “BayernHeim” will “not solve the problem on its own”.
Green Party lead candidate Hartmann believes the state government’s housing policy is misguided. According to him, one example is that 1,500 student apartments in Munich have been empty since 2015 because renovations are not making progress. The two politicians agree that faster planning is generally needed in order to build more new houses and apartments.
9:07 p.m.: What to do about high food prices?
According to Söder, two things would be important in order to reduce food prices: On the one hand, there must be more land for cultivation and less “control and regulation” of agriculture. On the other hand, the VAT on basic foodstuffs must be reduced to zero – “for all basic foodstuffs,” says the Prime Minister. That would be an “important signal of relief for many families”.
Hartmann is also concerned about food prices. However, the high costs were caused by crop failures – heavy rain events are the biggest factor for fluctuating food prices. “We urgently need to get to the root causes.” He doesn’t believe in reducing prices for everyone, but rather helping where it is particularly needed. Both politicians agree that the VAT reduction for the catering industry should be extended.
9:03 p.m.: Hartmann criticizes Bavaria’s pace of climate protection
Now it’s about climate protection in Bavaria. Two weeks ago, Söder’s Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters) doubted in the BR24 electoral arena that Bavaria would actually become climate neutral by 2040, as enshrined in law. Söder says he is not responsible for what someone believes. He himself assumes that Bavaria will achieve its goals.
Hartmann, on the other hand, criticizes the current pace of Bavaria’s climate protection measures. If things continue like this, “we will need over 100 years to be climate neutral.” According to the Green politician, extreme weather events are increasing worldwide. When faced with huge hailstones or severe forest fires, Hartmann says: “These are images that we don’t want to get used to.”
8:52 p.m.: “Huge mistake” – dispute over energy policy
With a view to Bavaria’s energy policy, Green Party lead candidate Hartmann is pushing for new wind turbines to be built much faster than before. According to him, the Free State has so far been slow to designate new priority areas. Hartmann also criticizes the fact that Bavaria has delayed the expansion of the power line in Germany. That was a huge mistake. Cheap and clean electricity is particularly important for industry, he emphasizes.
Söder argues that he is “at the forefront” of renewable energies and has also “completely reformed” the regulations for wind power. And so far “nothing at all has happened” with the power lines throughout Germany.
8.43 p.m.: Söder wants to reduce citizens’ money – Hartmann counters
Hartmann rejects Söder’s criticism that it is not worth working because of the high citizens’ money. The Green politician emphasizes that anyone who works always has more than one recipient of citizen’s benefit. He accuses the CSU boss of showering envy on the weakest. It is not wrong that citizens’ money has been increased in view of the high inflation and energy prices.
Söder, on the other hand, reiterates his criticism: “The citizens’ money is too high.” This leads to “many people thinking about whether it’s even worth taking up a job.” Hartmann wants to know from the Prime Minister how high the performance should be. Söder does not give a number.
8:37 p.m.: Exchange of blows about migration policy
CSU top candidate Söder renews his call for a “turnaround” and an “integration limit” in migration policy. According to him, effective border protection and more returns of rejected asylum seekers are now needed.
Hartmann has other priorities: He demands that refugees in Bavaria be given faster access to the labor market, also by recognizing professional qualifications more quickly. Then a refugee becomes a work colleague and taxpayer. According to the Green politician, it is generally about “finally bringing humanity and order to the EU’s external borders.” Not enough has happened in the past ten years, when the Greens were not yet part of the federal government.
8:27 p.m.: Hartmann criticizes Söder’s attacks on the Greens
Hartmann is disappointed by Söder’s regular attacks on the Greens. If Söder accuses the Greens of not having the Bavarian gene, that is a division “that I don’t want to accept,” says the Green parliamentary group leader. “What bans, what re-education?” he asks, referring to repeated CSU criticism. The traffic light government in Berlin has decided on things “at an unprecedented pace” from which Bavaria also benefits – for example the 49-euro ticket and the increase in child benefit.
Söder counters that never in the history of the Federal Republic has a government had such a poor standing among the population. In his opinion, the Greens bear “a great deal of responsibility” for this. It was a fundamental mistake to abandon nuclear energy, cut parental allowance and “block” the issue of migration.
8:22 p.m.: Hartmann wants black-green, Söder doesn’t
Green Party lead candidate Hartmann is promoting an alliance between his party and the CSU. He was convinced that such a government could be the right answer to the questions of our time.
Prime Minister and CSU leader Söder immediately rejects these advances: “We definitely don’t want a black-green coalition in Bavaria,” he says. Instead, he is once again in favor of continuing the current coalition with the Free Voters. The Greens have a “different philosophy of politics,” explains Söder.
8.15 p.m.: Söder-Hartmann exchange of blows begins
“BR24 Election – The Confrontation” has begun – in the next 60 minutes, Markus Söder, Prime Minister and CSU top candidate, and the current Bavarian opposition leader Ludwig Hartmann (Greens) will discuss the right policy for Bavaria. Also important: Neither of them knows the questions yet. The moderators point this out at the beginning of the show.
7:37 p.m.: Poll numbers for the CSU and the Greens
Both the CSU and the Greens were below their own expectations in BayernTrend a few days ago. The Christian Socialists achieved 36 percent in the survey, the Greens got 15 percent.
For comparison: Five years ago, the CSU got 37.2 percent in the state election – that was its weakest performance since 1950. The Greens are also worse off in the most recent surveys than on election Sunday 2018. At that time, they got 17.6 percent and became the second strongest Power in Bavaria.
7:02 p.m.: Hartmann wants “energy transition in citizens’ hands”
On “Energy transition in citizens’ hands,” “Making climate protection a win-win for everyone,” “Equal opportunities for everyone in Bavaria,” wrote Hartmann. He demanded from Söder: “We have to talk about it.”
6:49 p.m.: Hartmann against “early federal election campaign”
Green parliamentary group leader Hartmann wants to discuss state political issues with Söder on the show. He hopes “that we don’t have an early federal election campaign,” Hartmann told BR24. There are other formats for federal politics. “But now it’s about our country, about our Bavaria,” said the Green Party’s top candidate. “And that’s what I want to talk about.”
6:37 p.m.: Söder attacks Greens before the broadcast
CSU boss Söder attacked his opponent even before the broadcast: In the short message service
6.20 p.m.: Greens open to coalition, CSU against
The top Green duo Katharina Schulze and Ludwig Hartmann only reaffirmed their party’s will to govern at a small party conference on Sunday in Munich. Their goal is to replace the Free Voters as the CSU’s junior partner.
Prime Minister Söder has been regularly rejecting an alliance with the Greens for months: there will definitely not be a black-green coalition in Bavaria. Instead, Söder wants to continue the coalition with the Free Voters.
6:09 p.m.: New edition of the exchange of blows from 2018
Shortly before the 2018 state elections, CSU boss Söder and the Green parliamentary group leader Hartmann met for an exchange of blows. At that time, the debate was broadcast not from Nuremberg, but from Munich. Instead of the planned 60 minutes, the duel ended up lasting more than 70 minutes.
5:52 p.m.: Two live debates before the state election
In the week before the Bavarian state elections, the BR is giving people in Bavaria another opportunity to find out about programs, positions and people in two programs. In the first program entitled “BR24 Election – The Confrontation” today at 8:15 p.m. Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) and his challenger Ludwig Hartmann from the Greens will meet live in the BR Studio Franken in Nuremberg for a final exchange of blows – to be seen on BR TV and here in the live stream, heard on BR24 on the radio. It will be moderated by BR editor-in-chief Christian Nitsche and Julia Büchler.
On Wednesday evening, top representatives of the other four parties represented in the state parliament will discuss in a broadcast: Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters), Martin Böhm (AfD), Florian von Brunn (SPD) and Martin Hagen (FDP).