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WORLD:

Ms. Dreyer, Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) wants to publish the names of the MPs who are involved in mask deals.

Do you fear that SPD parliamentarians have also made money from the crisis?

Malu Dreyer:

I have no evidence whatsoever.

So I see no cause for concern.

In addition: The problem is not to provide masks, but to collect horrific sums for it.

WORLD:

Does the corruption affair in the Union give you an advantage shortly before the election in Rhineland-Palatinate?

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Dreyer:

CDU and CSU have a massive problem, but this affair is of no use to anyone.

Democracy as a whole is damaged when politicians, as in the case of the two Union politicians, act out of greed and try to capitalize on a pandemic.

People must be able to trust political representatives, especially in times of crisis.

That trust has been shaken.

I can see no advantage for the bystanders.

WORLD:

Spahn said that in the pandemic you have to forgive each other a lot.

Do people have to forgive Mr. Spahn, but also you?

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Dreyer:

People have to decide for themselves.

For my part, in every phase, with the help of experts and after political exchange, I made the decisions that I was convinced would be correct and effective.

Of course, you learn something new in the course of such a pandemic - afterwards you see the consequences that you want to avoid in the future.

For example, that we isolated the people in the old people's and nursing homes.

Following the impulse to protect them as best as possible, we no longer allowed any visitor contacts.

I had talked to residents at the window about how they experienced this.

That's when I realized how lonely and isolated people are.

That touched me deeply.

But you couldn't see it like that at the beginning.

At that point we had too few masks, no knowledge of the virus, and no vaccine was even in sight.

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WORLD:

What else have you learned in the course of the pandemic?

Dreyer:

That the order for vaccines via the EU Commission was basically correct, but not the procedure that was chosen for it.

This has to be organized differently in the case of future vaccination orders.

Now the supply of vaccines remains unsatisfactory until the beginning of April, and other countries can vaccinate much faster than we here in Germany.

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WORLD:

Overall, the crisis management is running bumpy nationwide, let's take the tests ...

... I'll hook it up, because nothing is bumpy with us.

In any case, our comprehensive rapid test stations in Rhineland-Palatinate have been open since Monday.

Anyone who wants can be tested there.

Everything you need is there.

We ordered on time.

WELT:

Still: Shouldn't one fundamentally have to put crisis management on a different basis - with a crisis center that coordinates centrally and replaces the tedious procedure of federal-state talks?

Dreyer:

Sometimes it is tedious when an entire federal government with 16 federal states is struggling to find the best solution.

But in the end our federal path is more successful than the one that centrally organized countries go.

We now have a step-by-step plan for openings.

That took two weeks and was too long for me.

I criticized the fact that we didn't manage that on the first lap.

But the plan is a resilient opening perspective with an emergency brake and is less complicated than it looks at first glance.

We have a common principle, uniform standards and the freedom and flexibility to do justice to the region and the conditions there.

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WORLD:

What is the further schedule for openings?

Dreyer:

We'll meet on March 22nd and we'll talk about Easter.

I would have liked it if we had already settled that, but that was not possible.

Not because we didn't want that, but because it's difficult given the mutations.

But if the numbers develop steadily, we can look at further perspectives for the hotel industry, gastronomy and the cultural scene.

WORLD:

What does that mean in concrete terms?

Dreyer:

I won't let myself be carried away by making predictions.

We have a very low infection rate nationwide in Rhineland-Palatinate, but it is still good if we coordinate this nationwide.

WORLD:

The approval of the state government's policy has decreased in the past few weeks.

What are the reasons from your point of view?

Dreyer:

We are in the middle of a serious crisis, many people are frail.

All federal and state governments feel this.

We still have really good approval ratings for the work of the state government.

WORLD:

In surveys, the Federal SPD is significantly weaker than the Social Democrats in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Why is that?

Dreyer:

We are close to the people in Rhineland-Palatinate.

We know where the problem is, but we always look to the future.

Even if the SPD is still weaker in the federal government, I am convinced that the SPD will grow significantly when the election campaign begins.

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With Olaf Scholz we have a very good top candidate.

People trust him to be able to become chancellor.

And we have a good, progressive program that keeps everyone in view.

WORLD:

Do you think that this state election will also be a Corona election, in which the citizens vote on how well the crisis management has worked?

Dreyer:

Of course, the pandemic plays a role in the choice.

It affects everyone in society.

That is why citizens are asking themselves very carefully who they trust to lead the country through the crisis well.

And I say very confidently that I can do it.

Even as health minister I managed a pandemic, as prime minister a wave of refugees.

And now a pandemic.

I know how a crisis works and what people need in order to be able to act with foresight.

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WORLD:

You sound very sure that you will be the next prime minister.

Dreyer:

No, I have humility before elections.

The decision rests with the citizens.

That's why I woo your trust until the last day.

But of course I hope it turns out that way.

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WORLD:

And for a continuation of the traffic light with the FDP and the Greens?

Dreyer:

Above all, I am campaigning for the SPD to become the strongest party so that, as Prime Minister, I can form a government.

For many years now, the SPD in Rhineland-Palatinate has managed to get ahead in state elections on election day.

And with the Ampel Coalition, we governed very well together for five years and coped with a crisis very well together.

So it's a constellation that I can very well imagine.

WORLD:

Can a traffic light in Mainz be a signal for the federal government?

Dreyer:

That is definitely an option for the federal government.

I have always regretted that other federal states have not adopted the traffic light model.

I actually believe that with this constellation we cover the needs of a great many people here in Rhineland-Palatinate.

WORLD:

Is the state election pointing the way for the federal election?

Dreyer:

I never believed that state elections had a lot to do with federal politics.

Rhineland-Palatinate is the best indication of this.

We haven't had a tailwind from the federal government for a long time.

So the citizens know exactly what to choose from us.

But what is of course true: If we win the election, that would definitely be a tailwind for the federal SPD.

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WORLD:

In the federal election campaign, the SPD barely gets off the ground - and instead of mask-gate now has the cause of Wolfgang Thierse on the heels.

Is Juso boss Jessica Rosenthal right when she says that this is "not a real issue"?

Dreyer:

It's really not comparable!

With Olaf Scholz, the SPD has placed the issue of respect at the top of the election program.

I like that.

We are the party that unites everyone and has respect for all needs and life plans.

It is not a question of whether we are a party for workers or for certain communities.

We all see people.

We stand for common sense instead of egoism.

For cohesion instead of exclusion.

And we love the discourse.

The SPD conflict over Thierse

WORLD:

Some in the Bund apparently see it differently.

Do we have to be ashamed of what Thierses said?

Dreyer:

The SPD is a contentious party, but there is no argument.

That's a big difference.

And I don't really find it surprising that she deals with these issues.

It is a topic that concerns a lot of people right now.

WORLD:

But after the debate, one actually wonders what the SPD actually stands for.

Dreyer:

The SPD is the labor party.

In 2021, the workers will no longer just stand at the assembly line or at the steel furnace, they toil at the PC, heal and help at the sickbed, they teach our children, they design new things as solo self-employed.

The SPD is a progressive party.

We want to shape change in such a way that everyone and not just the strongest and the fastest benefit from it.

The election program for Rhineland-Palatinate states that future jobs will be created, justice for everyone, equal opportunities for everyone: that is what the SPD takes care of!

That always involves everyone.

In our modern world it is not at all possible for a people's party to be oriented towards one group of people.

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