Munich: Greens defeat in federal election? Forecast delivers surprise

t-online Munich: Greens defeat in federal election? Forecast delivers surprise Patrick Mayer • 22 hours • 3 minutes reading time Power struggle in Munich CSU and Greens fight for crucial direct mandates Voters have to make two crosses on February 23. In Munich, many candidates are fighting for a few direct mandates. In Munich, the CSU and the Greens are vying for four direct mandates in the Bundestag. Both parties are positioning themselves before the federal election. It was an up and down of emotions for the Greens in Munich in the federal election at the end of September 2021. First there was the jubilation over the first ever direct mandate in a federal election in Bavaria, won by Jamila Schäfer, who was only 28 at the time, in the south of Munich. This was followed by a narrow defeat in the Munich-West/Central constituency. In the end, just 146 votes made the difference. Stephan Pilsinger (CSU) narrowly won with 27 percent against Dieter Janecek (The Greens, 26.9 percent). Both are now running against each other again in the federal election on Sunday, February 23rd. With a different outlook? According to "BayernTrend" by BR24, the CSU in the Free State is at 42 percent, the Greens on the other hand at 14 percent and the Social Democrats at just ten percent. CSU man Stephan Pilsinger, as expected, blames the failed traffic light government's policies for this, as he said in response to a request from t-online. A vast majority of the population is deeply frustrated with the ideology-driven politics that no longer address the everyday problems of citizens, says Pilsinger. Expensive housing and a lack of daycare places "The most pressing problem in our city is undoubtedly the scarcity of and unbelievably expensive housing, which is a major burden for families and is driving many pensioners into poverty in old age," explains Pilsinger. He is also repeatedly asked about the lack of daycare places. This is not only a problem for single parents, but also for young families who rely on two incomes, says the 38-year-old doctor. CSU criticizes the removal of lanes and parking spaces His CSU colleague Wolfgang Stefinger is particularly critical of the Greens. He criticizes "ideological projects such as the removal of lanes and parking spaces." The 39-year-old, who grew up in Waldperlach, has held the mandate for the east of Munich since 2013 and is considered the clear favorite for the direct mandate there. Stefinger promises "relief." He explains that he wants to work in Berlin to ensure "that investments flow into our city, for example through funding programs for housing construction and a fairer distribution of federal funds for local transport." Wolfgang Stefinger (CSU), represents the Munich-East constituency in the Bundestag (archive photo) and is considered the clear favorite this time. He insists on federal subsidies for local public transport, "such as the subway extension from Pasing to Freiham. Freiham is considered Europe's largest new development area, and 11,500 apartments for up to 30,000 residents are to be built there by 2024. "I didn't let the polls demotivate me" And what do the Greens want? At the last federal election, they got more second votes than the CSU (23.8 percent), with 26.1 percent. "Last time, the polls put me in third place and I won because I didn't let that demotivate me," says Jamila Schäfer, recalling the 2021 elections and her triumph in the Munich South constituency, which she wants to repeat this year. She also knows: "Housing has become far too expensive in our city." The Greens therefore want above all to "further develop the rent cap and enable a rent freeze in regionally tense markets," explains the Bundestag member. The 31-year-old is bringing a "Germany fund" into play, with which the federal government could "support the states and municipalities". It is about "reforming the debt brake so that we can make the necessary investments and reduce the investment backlog," she explains. According to the latest forecasts from the polling institute YouGov, however, a clear winner could emerge from the race in the Munich South constituency. Claudia Küng wants to win back Schäfer's direct mandate for the CSU. The CSU is currently in the lead here with 36 percent. The Greens follow in second place with 22 percent. So it could be that Schäfer is right: "There is a lot of mood for change in our favor," she says in an interview with t-online.