Following the traffic light fiasco, CSU chief Söder urges a fresh Bundestag vote "immediately."
On the German TV shows "Frühstart" on RTL and ntv, Söder made a statement about France. In Germany, Söder believes that things should be similar to France, where elections will be taking place shortly. France's President Emmanuel Macron called for new elections on Sunday evening after his party, Renaissance, had a disappointing performance in the European elections. The first round of the parliamentary election is set for June 30th.
"This government is basically finished," Söder told the broadcasters, referring to the traffic light parties. "The traffic light no longer has any mandate or trust from the people." For this reason, elections should happen "as soon as possible."
CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann had already called on SPD Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) to tackle the issue of confidence in light of the SPD's losses in the European elections. Linnemann said that the traffic light needs to either change course or allow for new elections.
Söder urged significant changes in immigration policy to prevent an AfD victory similar to what happened in the European elections in the upcoming state elections in Thuringia, Saxony, and Brandenburg. "We need to address these issues now, or else a similar outcome at the state elections in the fall could harm Germany and democracy," Söder told the broadcasters. Immigration remains a critical issue for many Germans.
The Union was the strongest force nationwide during the European elections, receiving 30.0% of the votes, while the AfD, a party considered partially right-wing extremist by the Constitution Protection, came in second place with 15.9% of the votes, having the most significant representation in all five eastern German states.
The SPD suffered its worst result in a European election with 13.9% of the votes. The Greens received 11.9% of the votes, the FDP achieved 5.2%. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) came nationwide to 6.2%, while the Left halved their share to 2.7%.
