The FDP in Upper Bavaria has chosen its list for the state parliament and published a photo of the “Top 10”. The team headed by faction leader Martin Hagen and his deputy Julika Sandt is aiming for parliament in October. And two things immediately catch your eye. First: many women, half even. This is unusual because the Liberals have only had one woman in the Maximilianeum, Sandt. And secondly, it is noticeable who is not in the photo: two well-known MPs. Above all, Wolfgang Heubisch, 76, Vice-President of the State Parliament, former Minister of Science and Munich’s voice driving force (2018 clearly in double digits). And Albert Duin, 69, ex-country chief. What happened on Sunday at the constellation meeting in Chiemgau?
As the most populous district, Upper Bavaria is important for all parties. And for the FDP the traditionally best patch. Five of the twelve current MEPs come from here. In 2018, Upper Bavaria was also the only district in which the Liberals made it over the five percent hurdle – that was the only way to get in. Hagen and Sandt now lead the new list, Heubisch and Duin both competed for fourth place, losing to Munich FDP leader Michael Ruoff. In the end, Duin ended up in 13th place, Heubisch in 15th place. So without authorization for the top 10 photo.
No punishment of the celebrities or the like, that’s what you hear from the FDP the day after. But the “often uncontrollable dynamics” of a constellation, especially in the urban-rural distribution of places. Heubisch and Duin were expressly not passed, it is said, they had not run for single-digit places in the meantime. There they would have had to compete against young women. Poor placements, so to speak, as collateral damage to the goal of finally making the FDP list more female. Incidentally, some in party circles considered it almost “impossible that we could ever do it”.
Julika Sandt, former liberal solo lady in the state parliament, emphasizes: There is no quota, no agreement on this. “Women with great profiles” would have “given great speeches and asserted themselves – and not because they are women”. Female FDP offspring have been networking for years, the women were “not desperately wanted or carried to hunt”. Sandt believes “that diversity is really good for the store”. Among the top 10 is Britta Hundesrügge, deputy district administrator of Starnberg, who ran unsuccessfully for elections several times. And Susanne Seehofer, daughter of the former CSU prime minister, whose commitment to the party many liberals see as a coup. And two other FDP women, both in their early 30s. However, the new list is not a vote of no confidence in older men: the member of parliament and ex-Focus-Editor Helmut Markwort, 86.
Heubisch and Duin still have chances of a renewed mandate. The voting system, which also ticks individual applicants on the list, makes it possible. FDP circles are particularly optimistic about Heubisch, with his reputation in Munich and his networking in science and art. And the former Minister of State himself is “quite easy-going and relaxed,” as he told the SZ on Monday. On the one hand, it would never have occurred to him to campaign against the young women. On the other hand, it is a “false conclusion” that a top spot on the list is a prerequisite for electoral success. He trusts his voting circle, the “FDP-affine environment” like in Munich-Schwabing.
Of course, the decisive factor is whether it is enough for the FDP at all. In surveys it is only four percent, the national trend is devastating. Party leader Hagen wants to focus on “pure FDP” in the election campaign and make people forget the unloved traffic light participation in Berlin. And he hopes to snatch votes from the Free Voters, for example, since the coalition partner of the CSU has more economic expertise than Hubert Aiwanger. About which, as Hagen recently said at the Political Ash Wednesday, the high-tech location Bavaria with its ten DAX companies only shakes its head.