Schleswig-Holstein: This is how the election campaign went in the north

The election campaign in Schleswig-Holstein rippled along like that. Content-related political disputes remained rare. And it wasn’t just because of the world situation.

At first glance, the main topic in the Schleswig-Holstein election campaign has little to do with state politics. It’s about what’s happening in Kyiv, Mariupol, Moscow, and maybe in Berlin and Brussels. The Russian attack on Ukraine is the dominant topic in the elections in the northernmost federal state – even if foreign and security policy is not decided in Kiel. But the effects can also be felt in this country, specifically when refueling or shopping – and therefore important in the state election campaign.

There was little controversy when it came to dealing with refugees from Ukraine, but the similarities ended on other issues. In energy, social and domestic policy, for example, the parties came up with different demands, concepts and priorities. They usually sound familiar, but after the war began they got at least one more argument. But the political debate never really got going. Rather, the election campaign rippled along.

“Keep course” is the North German “Keep it up”

This is also due to the initial situation: CDU Prime Minister Daniel Günther has outpaced the competition in surveys. His personal approval ratings are excellent, but satisfaction with the current state government of the CDU, Greens and FDP is also high, even among SPD supporters. That’s pretty much the opposite of what pollsters call mood swings. For example, the CDU often used a picture of Günther to placard its “Keep the course” campaign motto. The 48-year-old toured the country, showed his face, shook hands, and supported local candidates. Only a corona infection in the hot phase of the election campaign slowed him down a bit.

The unknown

The SPD had to overcome the opposite starting position with their challenger Thomas Losse-Müller. The former head of the state chancellery advertised that he knew the apparatus of the state government and many people there well – and was convinced that he could also do some things better technically. Losse-Müller was last employed as a management consultant in ministries.

But people outside of politics didn’t know him. And at first it was difficult for him to do something about it: In the initial phase of the election campaign, in which he would have liked to make himself better known, the corona situation did not allow it. It was not the time for meetings, nor for doorstep campaigning. Losse-Müller’s emergency solution: He offered telephone consultation hours. Posters were then hung on lampposts in the neighborhoods with a photo of him – and his cell phone number.

Losse-Müller himself had to take a break twice because of Corona. In the end, he apparently hardly got through: only a third of those surveyed were able to ARD Germany trend At the end of April say something about whether you are satisfied with his work – or not. Most didn’t know him.

In terms of content, Losse-Müller tried to position the Jamaican government primarily in social policy and to score points with classic SPD issues such as free basic day care, rent control and more social housing. He advocated relief for families who were particularly affected by the price increases resulting from the Ukraine war. But even with these topics he hardly got through.

Greens between partners and ex-partners

Much better known than Losse-Müller is the green top candidate Monika Heinold – also qua office: She has been finance minister in Schleswig-Holstein for ten years. Heinold also held this post in a coalition of SPD, Greens and SSW. And so it happened that in election campaign discussions she stood between the current and former coalition partners.

Depending on the topic, she defended the course of the Jamaica coalition, emphasized the green success and wished for more of it. With regard to the discussion about the dependence on Russian energy supplies, she claimed that her party had always campaigned for more energy autonomy. She now wants to expand renewable energies more quickly. As prime minister, she would take care of climate protection herself.

AfD and SSW also advertised that they wanted to take action against rising prices. The FDP advocated investments in infrastructure and welcomed the fact that major projects such as the LNG terminal in Brunsbüttel are now being planned more quickly given the global situation.

Who could rule?

Even if the polls point to a clear election victory for the CDU, it is still difficult to predict what the new state government will look like in the end. There are these scenarios: