The top candidates for the state election in Brandenburg
Published: Monday, Sep 16th 2024, 11:20
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In the state elections in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, the top candidates are the center of attention; they are the face of their party. Some are running for the second time. Others of them have only recently come to the top position. An overview:
Dietmar Woidke - Experienced state leader in the election duel
Minister-President Dietmar Woidke has been governing Brandenburg for more than eleven years and is running as the Social Democrats' top candidate for the third time. The 62-year-old from Lusatia studied agricultural engineering and has held various leadership positions: he was Minister of Agriculture in Brandenburg, SPD parliamentary party leader, Minister of the Interior and took over as Minister President from Matthias Platzeck in 2013. If the AfD wins, the Social Democrat wants to step down and no longer assume government responsibility.
Hans-Christoph Berndt - AfD parliamentary group leader and right-wing networker
The top candidate of the right-wing populist AfD is the laboratory doctor Hans-Christoph Berndt, who usually only goes by his first name Christoph. He is one of six members of parliament who have so far been classified as right-wing extremists by the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution (domestic secret service). During the election campaign, Berndt spoke of "uncontrolled mass migration policies". He wants to abolish the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which he described as a "neo-Stasi", and public broadcasting.
Jan Redmann - CDU career man with flaws
Lawyer Jan Redmann has led the state parliamentary group of the Christian Democrats (CDU) in Brandenburg since 2019 and has been at the helm of the state association since 2023. The 44-year-old has made it clear who he would not like to govern with: the Greens. The CDU man recently hit the headlines for driving an e-scooter while drunk. Redmann admitted the mistake. A penalty order was issued and he had to pay a fine of 8,000 euros.
Robert Crumbach - BSW state head with a long SPD past
Ten years ago, Robert Crumbach wanted to become district administrator for the SPD in Stade, Lower Saxony. Today he is attacking the Social Democrats in the election campaign. The 61-year-old labor judge from Potsdam is leading the fledgling Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) into the state elections as the lead candidate, and is also chairman of the state party. He considers the war in Ukraine and efforts to achieve peace with Russia to be a condition for being part of a coalition government. Crumbach was a member of the SPD for 40 years, he says.
Benjamin Raschke - returnee and Green Party frontman
The Green co-lead candidate has been at the head of the state parliamentary group since 2019. Born in Lübben, he is a returnee: he studied politics, philosophy and law in Constance and came back to Lusatia. The 41-year-old, who is concerned with climate, nature and animal protection as well as law, is eloquent. He has been a member of the Green Party since 2005. He was state chairman with Annalena Baerbock - the current Federal Foreign Minister - and has been a member of the state parliament since 2014.
Antje Töpfer - From scientist to co-leading candidate
The food chemist is rather unknown. After completing her studies, the second Green Party top candidate Antje Töpfer (56), who was born in Ludwigsfelde, worked for several years at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, among others. From 2015 to 2022, she was a consultant at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. Since December 2022, Töpfer has been State Secretary for Consumer Protection in the Brandenburg Ministry of Social Affairs.
Sebastian Walter - Eloquent young star
At 34, Sebastian Walter is still one of the young politicians on the Left. He began his political career as a 14-year-old in the Left Youth. Walter originally wanted to become a teacher, but became a trade union secretary. He has been a Left Party member of the state parliament and parliamentary group leader since 2019 and co-leader since 2022. In the state parliament, Walter is one of those MPs who are rhetorically adept and can speak freely.
Péter Vida - self-confident head of the Free Voters
He is the face of BVB/Free Voters - and during the election campaign, Péter Vida sometimes takes his girlfriend and son with him on the poster. He also wants to score points with kebab vouchers and sometimes hands out oranges, which are supposed to be a certain trademark of BVB/Free Voters. The 40-year-old lawyer is hoping to bring more common sense to regional politics.
Zyon Braun - banker and FDP state leader
Born in Templin, he joined the FDP in 2014. From 2019 to 2021, the banker was state treasurer of the Liberals (FDP) in Brandenburg, becoming state chairman in 2021. Braun has been a member of the Federal Executive Committee of the Free Democrats since 2023. He wants to lead the FDP back into the state parliament after ten years and co-govern - however, the polls do not yet see the Liberals in parliament.
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