Upcoming European elections - Following the EU election, Günther views unity as the response to the AfD.
Daniel Güther, the Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein, expressed the need for more solution-focused strategies after the impressive showing of the AfD in the European elections. He shared his sentiments on Monday in Kiel, saying, "We may be happy about our local achievements, but the AfD's values, who campaigned against Europe and international collaboration, give us a grim outcome." The way to counteract the AfD, according to Güther, is through practical solutions and strengthening unity instead of division. The AfD finished in fourth place in the northern region with 12.2% of the votes in the European elections.
In comparison to the EU elections in 2019, the AfD improved its results by 4.7 percentage points. The CDU, on the other hand, was the most powerful presence in Schleswig-Holstein with 30.2% of the votes. At a national level, the AfD came in second with 15.9%, after the Union with approximately 30%.
Serpil Midyatli, head of the SPD faction, pointed out that the democratic parties seem unable to deter the AfD. She expressed her dismay that they came in second place nationwide, calling it a result "bitter for everyone." She is curious about the implications of the right gaining power at the European level.
The SPD had the second-highest number of votes in Schleswig-Holstein, with 16.7%, even though they had a mediocre performance. The Greens earned the third-highest percentage with 15.4%, which is a 13.7-point decrease from the 2014 EU elections, when they led with 29.1%. With Niclas Herbst from the CDU, Delara Burkhardt from the SPD, and Rasmus Andresen from the Greens, three Schleswig-Holstein candidates will join the European Parliament.
Andresen, the Green party candidate, made an appeal to other pro-European political parties, especially the CDU, to collaborate with the Greens rather than the right-wing parties. He stated that the future of democracy and climate protection should not be jeopardized.
The FDP received 6.3% in the north (up from 5.9% in 2019), while the Volt Party received 2.5%, and the Left Party received 2.3%. BSW gained 4.1% from scratch. There is no minimum threshold for candidature at the European Parliament. The voter turnout increased significantly this time, hitting 64.4%, unlike in 2014 when only 59.8% of eligible voters voted.
The SSW, which abstained from the European elections, was alarmed by the results and the rise of right-wing parties. Jette Waldinger-Thiering, the European political spokesperson for the SSW faction in the state parliament, highlighted the alarming trend of the EU moving increasingly to the right.
The result is a warning sign for minority groups. "We can't expect conservative right-wing parties to safeguard the rights of minorities in the EU," said Waldinger-Thiering. Her party, which represents the Danish and Frisian minorities, is concerned about the diminishing chances of a commissioner for minorities. The South Schleswig Voter Association is the party of the Danish and Frisian minorities.
In total, 2.318 million people in Schleswig-Holstein were eligible to vote in the European elections. This was the first time that 16- and 17-year-olds were granted the right to vote. Approximately 107,400 citizens from other EU countries could also cast their ballots. There were 34 different party lists to choose from. 720 EU representatives were elected. Germany is currently represented by 96 women and 96 men in the parliament that holds sessions in both Strasbourg and Brussels.
