Campaign in Remote Duel - Parties Meet at the Stammtisch - Germany's Ash Wednesday rallies kick off fiery state election campaign
Beer, Pretzels, and Verbal Jabs: Germany's Political Ash Wednesday Brings Feisty Pre-Election Showdowns
With the state election in southwestern Germany just weeks away, candidates are seizing the traditional political Ash Wednesday gatherings to land parting blows against their rivals. This year, all eyes are on the Greens and the CDU, whose lead candidates are the only ones with a realistic shot at becoming Baden-Württemberg's next minister-president. Current polls put the CDU ahead for the March 8 vote, though the Greens have closed the gap in recent weeks.
In Biberach, where the Greens traditionally hold their event, top candidate Cem Özdemir and incumbent Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann will be joined by party veteran Joschka Fischer and former co-leader Ricarda Lang (11:00 AM).
Political Heavyweights Fischer and Gysi Take the Stage
The CDU claims to host the largest political gathering in the state, inviting supporters to Fellbach in the Rems-Murr district (10:30 AM). Party leader and lead candidate Manuel Hagel, alongside Hesse's Minister-President Boris Rhein, will rally the crowd in a long-distance duel with the Greens.
The other parties are also sharpening their rhetoric in the final stretch of the campaign. The SPD, with lead candidate Andreas Stoch, convenes in Ludwigsburg (from 11:00 AM), featuring federal party secretary-general Tim Klüssendorf as a guest speaker. The FDP meets in Karlsruhe (from 12:00 PM), where state leader and top candidate Hans-Ulrich Rülke will address the crowd.
The AfD holds its Ash Wednesday event in Sindelfingen (3:00 PM), with lead candidate Markus Frohnmaier and co-state chair Emil Sänze in attendance.
Meanwhile, the Left Party has invited Gregor Gysi to speak in Pforzheim (7:00 PM), while earlier in the day (11:00 AM), party leader Jan van Aken will address supporters in Stuttgart.
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