© Reuters
– Saxony-Anhalt PM Rainer Hazeloff congratulated by his wife after Merkel’s impressive victory in the countryside
The Conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) received 37.1% of the vote in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt in Sunday’s regional elections, according to preliminary results.
Despite the decline of Merkel’s party in recent months, the result is more than 7 points higher than in the previous elections in 2016.
The victory in Saxony-Anhalt is good news for Armin Lashet, the unpopular leader of the party, who is seeking to succeed her after the September elections, the French newspaper Le Monde reported, quoted by BTA.
This is the last election ahead of the September 26 national parliamentary elections, which will mark the end of Merkel’s 16-year rule.
After a contested campaign, the far-right “Alternative for Germany” came in second in the province with 20.8% and increased its results from the previous elections by three percent.
Sunday’s result is a “clear message to the outside world” about the role of the far right in German politics, said Saxony-Anhalt Prime Minister Rainer Hazeloff (CDU).
The result also confirms the place of East Germany as a bastion of “Alternative for Germany”, which receives twice the percentage than in sociological surveys at the national level.
All other parties in Saxony-Anhalt ruled out the possibility of cooperating with Alternative for Germany, which sought to make Germany’s tough anti-epidemic measures the subject of its election campaign.
Sunday’s election also shows some setbacks for Lachet’s main rival for the chancellor’s post, Green candidate Analena Burbock. Their party registered a very modest increase in support from the previous elections – from 5.2% in 2016 to 5.9 percent now.
However, according to national opinion polls, the Greens are close to becoming the largest parliamentary bloc since the September federal election due to public concerns about global warming.
The Social Democratic Party collapsed to a historic low of 8% in Saxony-Anhalt.
Saxony-Anhalt is strongly associated with the coal-mining province, which was abandoned by many of its inhabitants after German reunification. This is fertile ground for AzG, which has fueled fears of an influx of migrants into the country and regularly accuses Berlin of abandoning the former East German regions, the Le Monde reported.
It is possible that Hazeloff will now try to form a coalition with the Social Democrats and the pro-business Free Democrats. Another option is a coalition with the Free Democratic Party and the Greens, the British Guardian reported, noting that the SDP is a traditional partner of the HDZ. The two parties share a common dislike for the accumulation of public debt and have strengthened their support at the national level.
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