"Spd will determine if Scholz remains suitable for the position"
The Greens experienced a significant loss in the European elections. Anton Hofreiter, a Green politician, holds the traffic light coalition responsible for this, especially Chancellor Scholz.
In an interview on the ntv program "Frühstart", Hofreiter criticized Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his role in the demise of the traffic light coalition. He urges the SPD to evaluate whether Scholz is the right leader. Hofreiter hopes that Scholz will eventually steer the coalition towards calmer waters, but he's not optimistic. "The chancellor just needs to be clearer." Scholz tends to talk about moderation. "But moderation could also mean taking a decision after two weeks - that's also a long time - instead of half a year," Hofreiter said.
Hofreiter advises against rash budgetary decisions. However, he is disappointed by the current state of the traffic light coalition. "If the cabinet is already divided, a government simply has a problem," Hofreiter remarked. He rejected the idea of new elections, claiming they would only benefit populist parties like the AfD.
Hofreiter identified three primary reasons behind the Green Party's poor performance in the European elections: the party's own errors, such as the heating law, persistent infighting within the traffic light coalition, which the Greens contributed to, and people's concern over the numerous crises. The Greens' chairpersons, Ricarda Lang and Omid Nouripour, were not the target of Hofreiter's criticism. Instead, he emphasized the importance of the federal government improving its performance.
Despite the disappointing outcome in the European elections, Hofreiter predicts that the Green Party will likely increase its share of the votes in the next federal election. "It's about making fewer mistakes in the future. The ultimate goal at the federal election should be to perform better than in 2021," Hofreiter stated.
Hofreiter rejected calls for personnel changes in the party leadership, even in light of the recent poor performance of the Greens in the European elections. When asked about the party's two chairpersons, Ricarda Lang and Omid Nouripour, Hofreiter said, "I think both are the right ones. This was not about the two." According to Hofreiter, the central problem lies within the traffic light coalition itself. "I don't think the party chairpersons are the core issue. What's essential is that the government performs better."
The Green Party managed to secure only 11.9% of the votes in the European elections and lost 8.6 percentage points compared to their previous performance in 2019, resulting in a decrease from 21 to 12 Green parliamentarians. The three governing parties - SPD, Greens, and FDP - collectively lost almost 20 percentage points. The Union urged Scholz on Sunday night to call a confidence vote and pave the way for new elections. The Bundestag is not scheduled to be re-elected until September 2025.
Read also:
- Omid Nouripour and Ricarda Lang, both from Alliance 90/The Greens, were not criticized by Anton Hofreiter for the party's poor performance in the European elections.
- The SPD, as part of the traffic light coalition, will be evaluated by Hofreiter to determine if Chancellor Olaf Scholz remains suitable for his position, following the Green Party's significant loss in the European elections.
- Hofreiter believes that the Green Party's poor performance in the European elections was due to their own errors, infighting within the traffic light coalition, and public concern over numerous crises, not solely attributable to the Heating law.
- In an ntv early start interview, Hofreiter urged Scholz to be clearer in his budget policy management to steer the coalition towards calmer waters, despite not being overly optimistic.
- Hofreiter suggested that the Greens should aim to increase their share of votes in the next federal election by making fewer mistakes, focusing on better performance rather than personnel changes in party leadership or the traffic light coalition.
