The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has strongly criticized the decision by public broadcasters to exclude its top candidate from the central television debate ahead of the regional elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. According to reports citing a letter from CDU Secretary General Franziska Hoppermann to NDR editor-in-chief Adrian Feuerbacher, Hoppermann is urging the broadcaster to reconsider its decision.
Hoppermann stated that the CDU received the choice “with irritation and incomprehension.” By changing from the initially planned debate involving four candidates, CDU top candidate Daniel Peters has been “effectively sidelined.” The CDU further criticized this, asserting that it creates “the inevitable impression that journalistic independence and the courage for a wide, fair debate have been sacrificed to political maneuvering and the conditions of individual actors.”
The CDU politician directed the NDR to “show backbone” and review the decision, adding that the broadcaster should address and dispel a “mere suspicion of political influence,” which she considers weighty.
Similarly, the CDU sent a letter with the same content to RTL and ntv. These broadcasters had also abandoned the planned four-candidate debate in favor of a duel between Minister-President Manuela Schwesig (SPD) and AfD top candidate Leif-Erik Holm.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has strongly rejected the CDU’s accusations regarding potential political influence in lining up the TV duels.
SPD General Secretary for the state, Julian Barlen, told Bild that the NDR was simply continuing an established format. He explained that it has been standard practice in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since 2002 for the NDR to hold a TV duel between the Minister-President and the challenger before regional elections, maintaining a tradition that has been upheld in the last five MV elections. He added that the NDR had requested the duel after “Ms. Schwesig agreed to participate.”
Barlen also attacked CDU top candidate Daniel Peters, saying that given the CDU’s polling numbers of ten percent or less, Peters should acknowledge that he is not the Minister-President’s challenger. Instead, he argued, Peters should question what he personally contributed to his party’s “miserable polling figures.”
Regarding the claims of political influence, Barlen dismissed them, stating that Peters was merely trying to “create scandals around the TV duels at ntv and the NDR” for which none existed.
