Overview
- Surveys cited by public broadcaster SWR show the CDU ahead and make Manuel Hagel the front‑runner, while Cem Özdemir retains strong personal ratings in a direct-choice scenario.
- A state-commissioned analysis warns of up to 66,000 auto‑sector job losses by 2030, alongside announced cuts at Bosch (22,000), ZF (14,000), Porsche (at least 1,900) and Mercedes‑Benz.
- Hagel touts deregulation to spur growth, proposing special economic zones for fields like AI and robotics with fewer norms and documentation, and he showcased a conservative "Drei‑Löwen‑Allianz" with Markus Söder and Boris Rhein.
- Özdemir pitches pragmatic relief, vowing to scrap reporting duties for municipalities and SMEs and urging flexibility on the phaseout of new fossil combustion car registrations, while openly noting the limits of state influence on global industry forces.
- The next government faces structural tests in schools and research and a tightening budget, including a return to a nine‑year Gymnasium, competing AI strategies, lagging wind targets, and a projected €5 billion gap in the 2027/28 double budget.