Hans‑Ulrich Rülke, the leader of the FDP in Baden‑Württemberg and the party’s top candidate, has taken a hard line against the SWR once again. The complaint concerns the SWR programme “Zur Sache Baden‑Württemberg” on the subject of housing, scheduled for 19 February.
In a letter to the SWR director, Kai Gniffke, Rülke argues that the studio is booked with representatives from the CDU, Greens, AfD and SPD, while the FDP should only appear via a video clip. He points to a video shoot that took place on 12 February, where a SWR employee explained that the broadcaster would invite housing‑policy speakers from the four strongest state‑parliament factions. According to that explanation, the AfD would be present in the studio, the FDP would not.
When Rülke’s FDP housing specialist, Friedrich Haag, highlighted that the FDP faction in the state parliament is larger than the AfD’s, the SWR employee initially opposed the claim and later responded with uncertainty. Rülke calls this a mixture of ignorance, incompetence and bias, and demands an immediate correction: Haag must be invited to the studio for the 19 February broadcast.
In a separate letter addressed to the entire state association, Rülke urges every member to file a programme complaint. This new escalation comes amid an already tense relationship. Just yesterday, the FDP’s attempt to sue the SWR over its role in the “Triell” for the state election was rejected in court. The Liberals have announced that they will lodge a complaint against that decision.