Surprising result - Relief and concern: German politicians react to the French election
After the dampener for the right-wing parties in the advanced parliamentary election in France, the German government reacted easily. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) said in Nuremberg on Monday: "I and the entire German government are indeed relieved." For President Emmanuel Macron, it would have been a "great challenge" if a right-wing populist party had led the government.
The reactions in German politics were also marked by concern about political instability in the neighboring country, which is Germany's most important trading partner and closest political ally.
Government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit described the mood of the German government in the face of the election results with the words: "There is a certain relief that things, which were feared, have not occurred." With this, he referred to the forecasted electoral victory of the right-wing populist Rassemblement National (RN), which surprisingly only landed on third place.
Scholz: France is indispensable for the further development of the EU
Scholz emphasized the special significance of the German-French relationship also for a peaceful and free Europe. He hoped that it would succeed for Macron to form a constructive government coalition. For the upcoming major tasks on EU level – the further development of the Union and the admission of new members – the neighboring country is indispensable, said the Chancellor. "This only works together with France."
In the second round of the French parliamentary election on Sunday, the right-wing populist RN, which had hoped for an absolute majority, only landed on third place. The strongest force was the left-green electoral alliance New People's Front. Macron's government coalition came in second place. None of the three blocks, however, has an absolute majority in the National Assembly, making government formation difficult.
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) also pointed this out. In his assessment of the election results on TV station Welt, he said: "Calming is the wrong word, but it's good that nationalism in Europe isn't always getting stronger." France is facing a "very difficult government formation." "We can't say now: This has gone well, let's move on to other things."
In the FDP, there was concern that a future French government might heavily focus on debt accumulation in fiscal policy. "There must not be any loosening of the stability rules over EU debts just so that individual member states like France can repair their national budgets at the expense of the European community," said FDP fraction vice-chairman Christoph Meyer to the news agency AFP.
FDP politician Link: The danger of the extremes is not contained
His party colleague, the deputy FDP fraction leader Michael Link, sees the danger of the extremes by no means contained after the success of the left-wing alliance in France. "The first aggressive reactions from Le Pen and Mélenchon are a signal of bands," said Link, who is also the transatlantic coordinator of the German government. He added: "A strong signal would now be a republican majority from Macron's camp, plus social democrats a la Glucksmann, plus those conservative Republicans who have clearly distanced themselves from the RN."
SPD foreign policy spokesperson Nils Schmid expressed relief in an AFP interview that the advance of the Rassemblement National was contained, but he also expressed concern about the expected political instability.
There is still a clear majority of pro-European forces in Germany, Schmid stated. This will enable Germany to continue close cooperation with France bilaterally and in the EU, for instance regarding military support for Ukraine. However, it is uncertain whether these forces will form a government or even a stable coalition. This would weaken France's role on the international stage.
German assessments of Macron's decision to bring forward the French parliamentary election after the success of the far-right in the European elections varied. SPD chairman Michael Roth (SPD) told the "Tagesspiegel" that Macron's political project to strengthen the center in France had "failed spectacularly." Martin Schirdewan, leader of the Left party, accused Macron of "getting tangled up": "The price would have been almost a takeover by the far-right extremists."
CDU politician Armin Laschet, however, praised Macron's strategy because it had made clear that the far-right did not have a majority. "Marine Le Pen had been saying for three years: We are actually the winners, we were first in the European elections," Laschet said in ZDF. "But they only have a third."
European government leaders have at least kept public reactions to a minimum. Only Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Twitter: "Excitement in Paris, disappointment in Moscow, relief in Kiev. Happiness in Warsaw."
- Steffen Hebestreit, the spokesperson for the German Federal Government, stated that there was a sense of relief in the German government following the results of the French parliamentary election.
- Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, emphasized the importance of France for the further development of the EU and hoped for a constructive government coalition for Macron.
- Scholz highlighted that France is indispensable for major tasks on EU level, such as the further development of the Union and the admission of new members.
- Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck pointed out the difficulty of government formation in France after the election results, with no block having an absolute majority in the National Assembly.
- Christoph Meyer, the FDP fraction vice-chairman, expressed concern about a potential focus on debt accumulation in fiscal policy by a future French government, which could lead to a loosening of stability rules over EU debts.
- Michael Link, the deputy FDP fraction leader and transatlantic coordinator of the German government, saw the danger of the extremes not contained following the success of the left-green electoral alliance in France.
- Nils Schmid, the SPD foreign policy spokesperson, expressed relief that the advance of the Rassemblement National was contained while also expressing concern about the expected political instability in France.
- CDU politician Armin Laschet praised Macron's strategy of bringing forward the French parliamentary election after the success of the far-right in the European elections, as it demonstrated that the far-right did not have a majority.
