Berlin – As for the federal election, yes, it’s easy. Chancellor candidate Annalena Berbock and her competitors Olaf Scholz and Armin Laszt are invited to the studio. A reasonably catchy name is quickly found: TRAIL – even if the format is increasingly tedious and tedious.

The task was more difficult for RBB. The capital city’s broadcaster had made it their duty to provide information to all the leading House of Representatives candidates to allow them to speak at once. And as you know, there are six: Sebastian Cza (FDP), Kristin Brinker (AfD), Klaus Lederer (Left), Kai Wegner (CDU), Bettina Jarsch (Greens) and Franziska Giphy, in order of their most recent polls. (SPD).

The matter with the name remained: what do you call this kind of six-fight? Sextrail? In the sport we know the Jahn six-fight, in which young people compete in the gymnastic disciplines on the floor and parallel bars or uneven bars, in the 100 m running, shot put, 100 m swimming and jumping. RBB decided on “Vahlarena”. You can do it like this.

Greens shouted “Alerta Antifasista” as Brinker walked

Opposite the door to this arena – the location was E-works in Mitte – the Claquerques group of the Greens and the CDU had set up on Tuesday evening. But before the top guys arrived, Franziska Giphy and Kristin Brinker appeared at almost the same time. When the top AfD woman passed by, the antifa demo slogan “Alerta, Alerta Antifasista” was heard from among the ranks of the Green Party. With Giffy he later remained as calm as Sebastian Cazza.

For a short time “Newstart Berlin” was chanted – Kai Wegner had arrived. When Klaus Lederer fought for a 4-minute cigarette and Betina Jarsch refused to smoke, it could have started. The “poll field” was open. There are 75 people in the audience, they are supposed to represent a kind of cross-section of the population. The broadcaster sets off Top Topic with the first clip — and it’s no surprise, but a matter of living. A family in Marienfelde cannot find an apartment in which friends can live with a woman with four children. The family has been watching for four years, the candidates are asked one after the other how they want to help.

New building, everyone agrees. but how? For Lederer, new buildings have to be social. Wegner attacked them for their acceptance of the Left on the issue of confiscation. Giffie says the SPD will accept the decision in the referendum. But she wants to solve the problem in a different way.

concrete answers to direct questions

The mood is not as relaxed as it was before the show. Giffey seems tired, a little tense, but confident in the text. Jarash is aggressive. Lederer is willing to fight: if in doubt, he will even mess with people who make money with apartments. In between, presenter Jesse Wellmer and her collaborator Sasha Hingst try to make the candidates answer the audience’s wishes and questions in a very concrete way. One thing is certain: it will not be possible for the whole evening.

Have a quick questionnaire look at Tempelhofer Feld. Till yes or no? FDP: Yes, do farming. Lederer: Not at first. Giffey: Another referendum for perimeter development. CDU: A clear yes plus a citizen survey. Jarash: No. The area is unique. Brinker: Yes plus the referendum. So far, so famous.

Next topic: Traffic. Question from Ralph Freese, who needs an hour and a half every day because he’s constantly stuck in traffic: “How do you plan to make sure we can still drive properly in the city for the next four or five years? ?”

Police Presence and Surveillance Cameras

Czaja calls for solutions to “real problems” and not just “ideologies”. Jarash joins in: “They all speak against their superior knowledge.” And then straight from Giffy and CDU/FDP/AFD: “The thing that bothers me here is you don’t want to play off road users against each other. We don’t ban cars. But we do offer alternatives. Want to. It doesn’t work if you pretend we have endless space.”

Then the issue of security. In the film, a waitress is seen who has been ambushed twice near the Cottbuscher Tor in Kreuzberg. You no longer feel safe. Wegner called for more police presence in Cotti and across the city. Giffie thinks that freedom in Berlin depends on everyone feeling safe. She advocates for more video surveillance in “crime-prone locations.” Moderator Velmar identifies the match with FDP. Czaja confirms this. Even Lederer sees it this way: “I’ll be with Ms. Jarash and Ms. Giphy now. It should be possible for women and queer people to be able to “walk around in the evening.”

Lots of quick rounds of topics and careful moderation

And so it goes on in the evening. Housing, transport, security, the strength of care, education – the topics touched upon, have little time to deepen.

Fast Lap at the End: What’s the First You’ll Do? Brinker: Distribute the money better. Jarash: Secure reasonable rent in collaboration with housing companies. Wegner: Berlin must “rework”, especially the administration. Giffey: Coalition for Affordable Housing by Hamburg’s example. Lederer: Enforce a successful referendum on confiscation. Czaja: Introduce new building campaigns, but at the same time the rent-purchase model, promote ownership.

There are still five days left for the election. Moderation was rather safe, but took its task of providing further information seriously. You can’t get more praise.