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Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - The latest polls speak a very clear language: The Greens with the popular Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann have the best chance of becoming the strongest force again in the state elections on March 14th.

The gap between the eco-party and the CDU by Susanne Eisenmann, the top candidate and minister of education, is between 3 and 7 points, depending on the survey.

The live duel next Monday evening on SWR could be the opportunity for Eisenmann to turn things around again in front of a large audience on the screens, which is rather difficult in the online election campaign.

Now the broadcaster has published the rules of the one-hour duel in the Stuttgart Wagenhallen:

The speaking time of the two candidates is measured to the second to ensure that Eisenmann and Kretschmann have an equal say.

The time accounts should be “almost balanced” in the end, the moderator and SWR editor-in-chief Fritz Frey will pay attention to it, the broadcaster announced on Friday.

The lot has already decided who gets the first and the last question: Eisenmann can answer first, and Kretschmann has the “last word”.

And even more had to be regulated: In keeping with her position in the party spectrum, the CDU politician will be on the right of the moderator and Kretschmann on the left as seen by the audience.

In addition, the counterparties are not allowed to take any documents with them into the studio.

Only blank paper and a pen for notes should be on the standing desks.

After the duel, there will be a live analysis on SWR television with experts on the question of who was more likely to benefit from the dispute.

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It is to be expected that the management of the Corona crisis will play a major role - even if Eisenmann and Kretschmann have actually agreed to leave the issue out of the election campaign.

Two days after the duel is the next prime ministerial conference, which will decide on possible loosening of the lockdown.

Kretschmann made a course correction on Thursday and pleaded for more openings with the help of rapid tests.

It will be exciting to see whether the 56-year-old Eisenmann will heed the advice of her political foster father, ex-Prime Minister Günther Oettinger, to attack more strongly.

Kretschmann recently warned his own party not to be too confident of victory.

"There is no meadow mowed for me," said the 72-year-old at the election check of the "Heilbronn vote".

He announced that his hair, which had become long in lockdown, would be shortened.

However, not at the hairdresser's, which will open again punctually on Monday, but rather: "If I have to go into a big duel, I have my wife cut it off a bit at the back from my wife."

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