Keine Berlin-Ambitionen: Günther zieht Schleswig-Holstein Berlin vor und schätzt Merz

Schleswig-Holstein's Minister-President Daniel Günther (CDU) has no ambitions to move into federal politics and wishes to continue as the leader of his region. "I am very, very happy to be the Minister-President in Schleswig-Holstein, so I would like to stay for another five years," said the 53-year-old during an ARD "Inas Nacht" broadcast.

"Berlin has never been an option for me." Günther has been governing Schleswig-Holstein since 2017, with the next Landtag elections taking place in April 2027. Public opinion surveys for Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and the red-green coalition are currently poor. Günther does not hide his preference for staying in the state capital, stating that he does not enjoy the way politics is conducted in Berlin.

In his SPD-green coalition, disagreements are discussed privately after work on Mondays, ensuring that the government runs smoothly and issues are resolved between Tuesday and Sunday. Günther believes that this approach could also work in Berlin if consistently applied. The question of Merz's candidacy elicited laughter, as Günther is one of eight ministers who signed a support letter for Merz before the last Landtag election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin.

When asked how Merz was, Günther hesitated but answered, "Normal, and nice to deal with." The audience responded with laughter. Earlier, Günther had sung the Schlager classic "Verdammt, ich lieb Dich" by Matthias Reim with moderator Ina Müller.