Regional Politics - CDU starts campaigning - Redman: Alcohol ride burdens start
The Brandenburg CDU goes on the offensive in the Landtag election campaign - despite Spitzenkandidate Jan Redmann's alcohol ride on an electric scooter. The state and faction leader campaigned at the presentation of the election campaign, stating that he wants to become Minister-President and challenge Dietmar Woidke from the coalition partner SPD. However, the first campaign posters only focus on content. In the past week, Redmann was stopped by the police according to his own statements during a ride on an electric scooter to his apartment in Potsdam with a blood alcohol level of 1.3 promille.
"I'm clear that this is a very relevant, dominant topic that will certainly burden the start of the campaign," Redmann told the German Press Agency. "But there are still roughly two months until the Landtag election. I want to use this time to convince people of the CDU. I want to use this time to give double the effort. I believe in the people, and I owe it to them and the CDU."
CDU opposes the traffic light in the federal government
The CDU is campaigning for the Landtag election on September 22 under the slogan "Your country can do better." "We want to be a countermodel to this traffic light politics in Brandenburg," Redmann said. "Whoever wants this countermodel and still wants to give their vote in the upcoming spectrum, they must vote CDU." He warned against a sharpening of the focus on the AfD as an opponent. It's not enough if parties only hook each other on the AfD.
The first motifs focus on medical care in rural areas, a boost for the economy, more focus on core subjects in schools, and a new political style. The CDU is advertising with the slogans "A doctor's visit should not be a long journey.", "Roll up your sleeves, kickstart the economy!", "Reading and writing earlier pays off.", and "Making things better instead of just talking about it." The CDU has been part of the state government with the SPD and Greens since 2019. With Spitzenkandidate Redmann, the CDU will campaign in the second and third wave of the campaign, said General Secretary Gordon Hoffmann.
Redmann denies lying
The Spitzenkandidate dismissed the allegation of lying regarding the police control. "No specific reason for the control was given to me," he said. "I was approached with the call 'general traffic control'." The "Märkische Allgemeine" quoted an internal police report that Redmann was controlled "due to his driving behavior." The police do not provide information on the internal report.
The Linksfraktionsleader Sebastian Walter told the "Rheinische Post": "Instead of being open from the start about what exactly happened, he is trying to insinuate himself as an honest broom keeper."
Support from Thuringia - Criticism from Potsdam
Redmann received backing from the party. "Mistakes are human – what matters is how one deals with them," said Thuringia's CDU chairman Mario Voigt of the "Rheinische Post" in Düsseldorf. "Here, Jan Redmann has shown greatness." That Redmann made the incident public, "I find good and right." In Thuringia, the Landtag election is on September 1.
The SPD and Greens in the Landtag had previously put pressure on Redmann. SPD-faction leader Daniel Keller questioned his suitability as a candidate for the Minister-President post if it turned out that it was not a routine control. The Greens-faction leader Benjamin Raschke sees significant unanswered questions and demands clear answers.
Riding an electric scooter is subject to the same 0.5 promille alcohol limit as driving a car. Above 1.1 promille alcohol in the blood is a criminal offense and not an administrative offense.
- Despite the controversy surrounding his alcohol journey on an E-Scooter, Brandenburg CDU's Jan Redmann is determined to lead the party's offensive during the State election campaign.
- Redmann, who faces Dietmar Woidke from the SPD in the election, emphasized that he will utilize the remaining two months to win over people's support for the CDU.
- The CDU is opposing the traffic light politics in Federal government in its State election campaign, with Redmann urging voters to back them as a countermodel.
- The first campaign posters released by the CDU focus on content, with themes including medical care in rural areas, boosting the economy, and strengthening education.
- Redmann dismissed allegations of lying about his police control, stating that no specific reason was given for the stop and that he was approached with a general traffic control call.
- Thuringia's CDU chairman Mario Voigt supported Redmann, praising his handling of the situation and commending his transparency.
- However, SPD-faction leader Daniel Keller questioned Redmann's suitability as a potential Minister-President, while Greens-fraction leader Benjamin Raschke demanded clear answers regarding the incident.
- Riding an electric scooter in Germany is subject to the same 0.5 promille alcohol limit as driving a car, with a blood alcohol level above 1.1 promille considered a criminal offense.
- The German Press Agency reported that Redmann's blood alcohol level was 1.3 promille during his E-Scooter journey, but the police declined to provide further information about the internal report.
- The AFD, a far-right party often targeted in regional politics, is mentioned as an opponent in CDU's campaign, with Redmann warning against focusing too heavily on this party when considering votes.
