The FDP state leader and lead candidate in Baden‑Württemberg, Hans‑Ulrich Rülke, has once again sharply criticised the SWR. The dispute concerns the SWR programme “Zur Sache Baden‑Württemberg” which will discuss housing on 19 February. In a letter to the SWR director Kai Gniffke – reported by the news magazine Focus – Rülke complained that the studio would feature representatives from the CDU, Greens, AfD and SPD, while the FDP would only appear via a video clip.
Rülke points to a video shoot that took place on 12 February as the trigger. An SWR employee explained that the broadcaster was inviting the housing‑policy spokespeople of the “four largest state‑parliament factions” which meant that an AfD delegate would be in the studio, but none from the FDP. When FDP housing expert Friedrich Haag noted that the FDP faction in the Landtag is larger than the AfD faction, the employee initially denied the claim and then responded with uncertainty.
The state leader calls the situation a mixture of “ignorance, incompetence, and bias” and demands an “immediate correction”. He insists that Haag be invited to the studio for the 19‑February programme. In a separate letter to the entire state association, he urges every member to file a programme complaint.
This latest flare‑up fits into an already heated relationship. Just yesterday, the FDP’s attempt to sue the SWR over its coverage of the state‑parliament election failed in court. The Liberals have announced a complaint against that decision.
