In yesterday's state parliamentary elections in Bavaria and Hesse, the richest of Germany's 16 states, the far right made a huge explosion. The Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens and the Liberals (FDP), which make up the federal government, suffered a huge loss of votes.
The surprise of the election was that most of the votes shifted from the seemingly left-wing Greens to the far-right populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD). There was an unexpected shift of votes from the Social Democratic Parties and the Greens to the nationalist party. The lack of interest among voters of Turkish origin also played an important role in these results.
SCHOLZ'S JOB IS NOW VERY DIFFICULT
With these elections, German Chancellor Scholz will no longer be comfortable leading the government and will have almost no influence in the Länder.
According to the Bundestag elections, the state governments so far are likely to continue. In Hesse, the coalition between the CDU (Christian Democratic Party) and the Greens, and in Bavaria, the coalition between the CSU (Christian Social Union) and the FreieWaehler (Free Voters) have retained their positions. Although there are other coalition formulas in the states, no change is expected.
FAR RIGHT SWEEPS THE GOVERNMENT
The state of Hesse suffered the biggest shock in yesterday's elections. The SPD's share of the vote fell from 19.8 to 15.1 percent. The Greens' share of the vote fell from 19.8 percent in the previous elections to 14.8 percent. The Liberals' 7.5 percent of the vote fell to 5 percent. There is a risk that the Liberals will not pass the state threshold and will not enter parliament.
While the three parties that make up the federal government lost a lot of votes, the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party increased its vote from 13.1 percent in 2018 to 18.4 percent. And it increased its share of the vote in the state from 27 percent to 34.5 percent, becoming the second party behind the CDU, which was the first party. In other words, it became the main opposition.
FAR RIGHT SURGES IN BAVARIA
The results in Bavaria, a CSU stronghold, were not as surprising as in Hesse, but the rise of the AfD there is also worrying. The CSU lost 0.8 percent of the vote compared to the previous election and stood at 36.6 percent. The far-right AfD came second here too, with 15.9 percent of the vote.
The SPD suffered a historic defeat, falling to its lowest share of the vote since World War II, with 7.9 percent of the vote. In the previous election, its share of the vote was 9.7 percent. The Liberals failed to pass the threshold with 2.9 percent and were out of parliament. The Greens could not maintain their 17.6 percent share of the vote and fell to 14.9 percent. The Free Voters became the third party with 15.1 percent. Other parties garnered 6.7 percent of the vote.
FROM THE GREENS TO THE NATIONALIST PARTY
The loss of votes of the ruling parties and the rise of the AfD have produced a different picture. The left-wing parties, the SPD and the Greens, are losing ground while the AfD is on the rise. The reason for this is dissatisfaction with the policies of these parties at the federal level. In particular, the closure of atomic power plants, dependence on foreign energy, ever-increasing energy prices, the necessity of heating systems in homes, the Greens' pointless stubbornness and each party's desire to blow its own whistle, the Greens' war-mongering, and the lack of measures against illegal entrants have cost the government a great deal of votes. All this helped the AfD. The Christian Union parties, the CDU/CSU, remained strong.
Critical election in Germany... The far right exploded!
In Germany, the government parties SPD-Greens and Liberals lost big votes in two states. The far-right AfD exploded and became the main opposition. The Scholz government, unable to prevent illegal immigration, is shaking.
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