The Greens have kicked off their electoral campaign starting with a tour of the German city of Lübeck. The first rally was headlined by the outgoing Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Member of the Bundestag Felix Banaszak, direct candidate for the Bundestag Bruno Hönel and Chancellor candidate Robert Habeck. The Greens had expected 600 people to show up to the event, but over 1,200 supporters attended. Incumbent Vice-Chancellor Habeck was quick to attack previous federal governments under the Union's; Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU), leadership, blaming them for current problems in the country. While acknowledging that the ruling 'traffic light coalition' (coalition of Social Democratic Party (SPD), Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Greens) is to blame, Habeck argued that the bigger blame must be placed on the Union. "The investment gaps that we see, the lack of money in education, in bridges, in the trains, these did not arise from the governing coalition alone. On the contrary, we tried to do everything possible to plug the gaps and fix them, but the situation arose long, long, long before that. Since the Union, the CSU" In an effort to further stress his argument, Habeck criticised the record of previous CSU transport ministers, listing by name "[Peter] Ramsauer, [Andreas] Scheuer and [Alexander] Dobrindt", adding that Germany's current economic problems are a result of their policies. Habeck moved to brand his party as one of solutions and passion for improving the country. "The reality will not change after election day. No matter which party gets which vote, we will find the same reality. It will not change that people in Germany are afraid for their jobs, that social anxiety has gripped the country again. These are real problems that will not disappear, even if the governing majority changes. That is why we need to provide answers in this election campaign that take these and other problems seriously and provide answers that are as big as the problems themselves." Promoting himself as the candidate to achieve this mountainous task he added "for the future, for a policy that gives the answers that fit our times, we need a strong Green Party and I will embody that with all my strength and all my passion, for the future." But the candidate for Germany's top job didn't end his criticism of competition there. Habeck continued to target the Union who currently top the polls stating that their leadership and candidates are only making claims of improvement but have not provided material evidence of any plans to achieve their promises. "The Union pretends that everything is very simple and that strong men only have to make strong statements and then the problems will be solved. The reality is much more complex. We have embarked on a critically important path, it is an European solution and this European solution must be implemented. This is what will order and sort the migration movements in Europe and then also in Germany." The Greens say they want to tackle issues and concerns that relate to the majority, such as rising rents, proposing to implement rent caps to relieve the burden off ordinary Germans. The party also wants to create tax incentives for investments to boost the economy and stimulate growth, to achieve their goals of making normal life "affordable again". CSU party chairman Markus Söder hosted the group's first winter retreat in preparation for the upcoming election in Bavaria's Seeon Monastery. Söder wants to foster the German economy, implement a stricter asylum policy and increase investment, both in quantity and speed, into modern technologies and military defence sectors. "Recession, depression, inflation. The overall omens for the economic situation are extraordinarily difficult. When prosperity wobbles, democracy wobbles, too. In this respect, the important thing now is not to organize a change of government, but to bring about an actual change of direction and policy." "Bankruptcies are on the rise, unemployment is increasing, investments are disappearing and companies are fundamentally dissatisfied. Germany's economic model is shaky," added Söder. The CSU has also stated that it will not prioritise Green economic policies, calling them ineffective and expensive. "Promoting performance through tax cuts instead of citizens' income. That has to go. There needs to be a commitment to a sensible energy policy, namely nuclear energy, instead of experiments such as the heating law." The Bavarian party also wants to attract attention and set itself apart by taking a tough line on migration policies. Notes from the meeting indicated that they plan that they also want to implement harsher punishment for migrants who commit crimes in the country, suggesting lengthy prison terms or deportation. The group also wants to amend the rights of residence for migrants, seeking to implement a system where a migrant's legal status is linked to a job, income and lack of permanent access to social benefits and welfare. Söder also stressed that they will not be seeking a large coalition of parties in the upcoming election, and have moved to rule out any possibility of a coalition with the Greens. "The more parties, the worse the instability. It's no use, as we've already seen. The traffic light porridge didn't taste good because there were too many different spices in it." He continued saying "We don't believe that the Greens are competent to govern." Their sister CDU party however have not ruled out such a coalition, instead opting to keep their options open. The CSU chairman warned that if they continue to propagate a black and green coalition, it will hurt their electoral chances, stressing that it will drive many voters to other parties "definitely the AfD (Alternative for Germany)". Söder also says that his campaign will look to rapidly boost the growth of one of Germany's globally renowned exports, the auto industry. Söder says their campaign will prioritise supporting electric cars – or e-cars – produced in Germany, saying special premiums will be rolled out to ail their growth which will subsequently strengthen the German economy. The meeting is set to continue for three-days, with the final day, Wednesday, featuring a speech by the CDU chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz, whom the CSU are launching a joint election program with. Representatives from the business world as well as foreign politicians from Greece and Luxembourg were also reportedly invited to the event. — Euronews
