The results of the state elections make coalition formation very difficult. According to the first figures, the Greens and the FDP in Thuringia did not reach the electoral threshold and are therefore not represented in the state parliament. The other parties do not want to work together with the AfD. The CDU, the SPD and the BSW could form a majority government together, but the question is whether they want to. The new party BSW (Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht) is considered economically left-wing and socially conservative. The CDU and Linke also have a majority, but the CDU has so far ruled out cooperation with the socialist party. The current minority government of Minister President Bodo Ramelow of Die Linke with the SPD and the Greens will not return with these figures.
In Saxony, the CDU has remained the largest party and Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer could continue his coalition with the SPD and the Greens. A coalition of the CDU, SPD and BSW would also have a majority.
According to the first figures, the outcome in both East German states looks like this:
In Saxony (20:05):
CDU: 31.8 percent
SPD: 7.6 percent
Greens: 5.2 percent
FDP: between 1 and 2 percent
Links: 4.1 percent
AfD: 30.7 percent
BSW: 12 procent
In Thuringia (7:59 p.m.):
CDU: 23.8 percent
SPD: 6.2 percent
Greens: 3.5 percent
FDP: 1.2 percent
Links: 12.9 percent
AfD: 32.4 percent
BSW: 15,6 procent
Turnout was high compared to previous state elections: in both states, 73.5 percent of voters turned out to vote today. View the results at Tagesschau
Right-wing radical AfD
These state elections have been watched with great concern. It is the first time since World War II that a radical right-wing party has been able to become the largest party in an election in Germany. The AfD has become increasingly radical in recent years. The domestic security service Verfassungsschutz has been keeping an eye on the AfD for years and sees it as a threat to the free democratic legal order in Germany.
According to the service, AfD members propagate xenophobia and anti-democratic positions. They hang a ‘ethnic‘ nationalism and want to exclude Muslims and political dissenters, the Verfassungsschutz has repeatedly stated. The AfD branches in Saxony and Thuringia have been classified as far-right by the service. In Thuringia, the AfD is led by right-wing extremist Björn Höcke, who was recently convicted for using Nazi terminology.
By the way, it seems that the AfD in Thuringia has the so-called Blocking minority achieves: for that, it must have at least one-third of the seats in the state parliament. This allows the party to block important decisions, such as the appointment of judges.
Different asylum policy
Many AfD voters in Saxony in Thuringia vote for the party because they assume that the AfD can ensure a different asylum and crime policy. They also see the Alternative für Deutschland as the party that best represents East German interests and that has the best policy with regard to Russia and Ukraine. The AfD wants, among other things, no more German arms supplies to Ukraine and advocates peace negotiations with Russia. Incidentally, the BSW is also in favor of a much stricter migration policy and peace negotiations with Russia.
Asylum policy was an important issue in these state elections, although the states themselves do not decide on this. The federal government decides on this. But for many voters, today’s elections were also an expression of dissatisfaction with the federal government of SPD, Greens and FDP. From a poll Before the vote in Thuringia, 82 percent of voters said that the federal government is so quarreling that hardly anything gets done in the states anymore. Read more about Thuringia at Tagesschau in over Saxony
Blow for Scholz government
The results in Thuringia and Saxony are a major blow to the federal government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). In Thuringia, the German government parties Greens and FDP were voted out of the state parliament because they remained below 5 percent. In Saxony, the FDP is also no longer represented in parliament. The SPD remains below 10 percent in both states.
“A tsunami of anger at the traffic light coalition (this is what the red-yellow-green government of Chancellor Scholz is called – red)”, the headline read Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Sunday evening. “Never before have ruling parties in Germany been collectively punished so mercilessly as the SPD, the Greens and the FDP.” Scholz has ignored the anger and discontent of citizens, local and regional administrators, police officers, teachers and other social groups for too long, the newspaper said.
SPD Secretary General Kevin Kühnert believes the federal government should act differently, he said Sunday evening in response to the results, although he immediately took a swipe at the coalition party FDP. Representatives of the Greens and the FDP also say that the coalition parties in Scholz’s cabinet should tackle the country’s problems and argue less. Read more at Tagesschau
