- Poll: Skepticism about CDU leadership after drunk driving
After a drunk driving incident involving Jan Redmann, the state chairman of the CDU, on an E-scooter, a recent survey shows that there is more skepticism than support for his continued candidacy as the top candidate for the state election. The polling institute Insa-Consulere, commissioned by the "Nordkurier", surveyed 1,000 Brandenburgers from July 29 to August 5.
22 percent answered "rather yes" to the question of whether Redmann should continue as the top candidate and potential minister president for his party. 48 percent said "rather no". 19 percent of respondents were indifferent to the issue, eight percent answered "don't know", and two percent did not provide an answer.
Among CDU voters, however, 45 percent said Redmann should run, while 33 percent opposed his continued candidacy for the position of minister president. Redmann was stopped by the police while riding an E-scooter to his apartment in Potsdam on the night of July 11-12. He had 1.28% blood alcohol, which is a criminal offense. The public prosecutor's office initiated an investigation against Redmann, who admitted his mistake and apologized.
In the survey, the AfD came in second and third place after the SPD. In the Sunday question, the AfD came in at 24 percent, making it the strongest force ahead of the SPD and CDU. The Social Democrats, who currently hold the position of minister president, received 20 percent of the votes, and the CDU received 19 percent. Both parties improved by one percentage point compared to the July survey.
The alliance "Sahra Wagenknecht" (BSW), which is running for the first time, again achieved 17 percent in the election survey. A new state parliament will be elected in Brandenburg on September 22.
Polls are always subject to uncertainties, with decreasing party loyalty and increasingly short-term election decisions making it difficult for polling institutes to weight the data collected. The institute gives a statistical margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. In general, polls only reflect the opinion climate at the time of the survey and are not predictions of the election outcome.
The Greens' value has decreased, according to the survey. They would receive five percent of the votes, barely reaching the current five percent hurdle for entry into the state parliament. In mid-July, it was still seven percent for the Greens, who currently govern with the SPD and CDU in Brandenburg. A continuation of the current coalition government of these three parties seems unlikely based on the survey results.
The Left would receive five percent if the state election were held on Sunday. The BVB/Freie Wähler would receive four percent, failing to reach the five percent hurdle for the state parliament. However, this rule does not apply to the direct mandate according to the state election law, and they could still enter the parliament. The FDP received two percent in the survey.
Brandenburg's Minister President Dietmar Woidke has linked his political future in office to a victory for the SPD in the state election. "My goal is to win against the AfD - and if I lose against the AfD, I'm out," the SPD's top candidate said at the beginning of August. Woidke did not rule out talks with the BSW after the state election.
Despite Jan Redmann's drunk driving incident in Potsdam, some CDU supporters still believe he should remain the party's top candidate for the state election. However, a majority of Brandenburgers, including a significant number of CDU voters, have shown skepticism towards his continued candidacy following the incident.
