German governor retracts drink-drive claim
The beer-loving governor of Bavaria was forced to climb down after claiming that some people can drive safely after drinking four pints.
Police and political opponents criticised Guenther Beckstein’s remark that “if one drinks the two litres over six or seven hours at the Oktoberfest, it is still possible” to drive. The Oktoberfest, Munich’s annual celebration of beer-swilling, opens on Saturday.
Mr Beckstein acknowledged that he had made a “rather unsuccessful contribution” to public debate.
“Anyone who drives is better off drinking nothing at all,” he said today.
He repeated the point when he appeared at a beer tent in Berlin later to open a local beer festival.
He wished guests a good evening – “with one litre of beer and perhaps a second too, but – so that this is clear to everyone – the car stays at home.”
The governor’s comments come before a state election. His conservative Christian Social Union has long dominated Bavaria and is heavily favoured, but opponents hope to deprive it of a majority in the state legislature after a lacklustre start for its year-old new leadership.
Mr Beckstein’s centre-left challenger, Franz Maget, said the governor had hit the brakes – “but the accident, and the write-off, has already happened”.
