Jens Spahn, chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, says that the federal government bears no joint blame for the CDU’s failure to win the Baden‑Württemberg state election. In fact, he argues the opposite: national policy did not contribute to their loss, but helped them.
When speaking to the German TV channel “Welt” on Sunday evening, Spahn remarked that the last two or three weeks had worked in the CDU’s favor-referring specifically to the party’s national conference in Stuttgart held before the state election. He highlighted the “strong results” and the image of unity that the convention projected.
Spahn continued that the federal government also made important decisions, such as repealing the heating bill and the citizen’s basic income. He claimed these measures have led to a better overall result for the CDU as voter turnout rises, suggesting that the party’s absolute shares of the vote in Baden‑Württemberg should noticeably increase compared to last time. Nevertheless, he conceded that this has “not yet been enough to secure first place” and that is, he said, the bitterness of the day.
According to the latest projections from ARD and ZDF, the Greens are expected to receive about 30.3 % of the vote, placing them ahead of the CDU’s 29.7 %. This would allow Greens’ Spitzenkandidat Cem Özdemir to become Minister-President in a likely continuation of the Green‑Black coalition. While the CDU could mathematically team up with the AfD at roughly 18.8 %, the party has ruled out such an alliance.
The day’s results are harsh for the SPD, expected to obtain only 5.6 %. The FDP and the Left are both projected to finish around 4.4 %, meaning both will fall short of gaining seats in the state parliament.