Upcoming elections in Europe - CDU victorious in EU elections in the north; disappointment for the Greens.
The "good outcome" of the Union's performance during the European elections was assessed by Schleswig-Holstein's Minister President, Daniel Güther. He claimed that the Union was far ahead of other forces in Germany, attaining 30% of the votes. This was almost identical to the total votes from the red-green parties combined. This result suggests significant distrust towards the current federal government.
The initial evaluations reported approximately 30% Union votes across Germany. Meanwhile, in Schleswig-Holstein, the CDU, as highlighted by the state's election leader, showed promising predictions with an anticipated 32% (compared to 26.2% in 2019).
Conversely, the Greens, who were previously the strongest force in the region with 29.2% in 2019, are anticipated to fall drastically, with 12.8% in contrast. The Green candidate for Schleswig-Holstein, Rasmus Andresen, expressed his disappointment with the outcome as it could potentially result in significant setbacks in climate policy.
The SPD lost a portion of their votes, falling from 17% to 15.8%. The SPD candidate, Delara Burkhardt, expressed her concerns about the party's inability to align with societal moods, acknowledging that they cannot penetrate it.
Schleswig-Holstein's SPD parliamentary group leader, Serpil Midyatli, critiqued Friedrich Merz and the Union's European campaign, as they lacked any European content on a federal level and instead focused on national issues. She stated that the election campaign served as a practice for the imminent federal election, employing a populist and harsh tone. Additionally, Midyatli referred to the internal disputes within the traffic light coalition as an obstacle for the SPD's success.
The FDP potentially gained 0.1% more votes, amounting to 6% in Schleswig-Holstein's initial calculations. The FDP's top candidate in the region, Helmer Krane, praised the outcome, as they were above the prediction and hovered above the 5% threshold.
The AfD nearly doubled their previous European election results: they are expected to receive 14.6% (compared to 7.5% in 2019), securing the position of the third strongest force in Schleswig-Holstein.
Minister President Güther deemed the strong showing of the AfD as the "bitter pill." The party has openly campaigned against European integration, and it is the duty of democratic parties to consistently highlight the importance of Europe, Güther noted.
