Voting Period - The AfD is leading in the European elections in Saxony, leaving the Greens and SPD disheartened.
In the recent European election held in Saxony, the AfD is predicted to have a dominant victory, with a significant increase in votes compared to 2019 (37.9% vs 25.3%). The CDU, led by Minister President Michael Kretschmer, was in the second position (23.9%), slightly higher than five years ago (23.0%). The new party, Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), claimed 13.0% of the votes.
AfD's state leader Jörg Urban expressed satisfaction with his party's performance, "We're now the second strongest force in Germany," he said on Sunday evening. He was particularly delighted about the setback suffered by the Greens' eco-socialists. The Green party leader in Saxony, Anna Cavazzini, acknowledged that the results were not satisfactory for her party, "We didn't meet our full potential." They need to research and find ways to better convey their message and issues to the public.
The current count reveals the status of other parties. The Greens, who are initially listed under "Others", have declined to 2.7% (2019: 10.3%). The other involved parties aren't faring well evident, with SPD at 5.4% (8.6%), the Left at 3.4 (11.7%), and the Free Voters at 2.9% (2.9%).
The votes from 322 municipalities, accounting for about 40% of eligible voters have been counted, and the results are yet to be disclosed from the cities of Chemnitz, Dresden, and Leipzig.
Matthias Ecke, SPD candidate in Saxony was disappointed with the outcome for his party. "This result is not satisfactory for my SPD", he stated after the initial calculations. He found the campaign in Dresden challenging and was hospitalized due to verbal and physical violence. "It's crucial for democracy to take these attacks seriously and find ways to face similar challenges in the future", Ecke added. He expressed satisfaction with his expected election to the European Parliament and the voter turnout. However, he viewed the AfD's victory differently, "The AfD growth is limited, and other parties should come up with effective strategies to deal with it."
Sabine Zimmermann, the Saxon BSW leader, found the party's performance in this election as a confirmation of its central message. "This result is remarkable because a party can emerge and garner over five percent nationally. It's clear, we're disrupting the German political landscape. Clearly, there were undiscovered political niches.", Zimmermann informed German Press Agency in Dresden.
This election was significant as it included not only the European Parliament, but also the voting process for local councils. Additionally, 16-year-olds were permitted to cast their votes for the first time in Saxony.
Over three million people in Saxony were eligible to vote.
At the European and local elections in Saxony, AfD attained the most votes, with CDU in second place, and BSW with 13% of the votes, followed by other parties. Greens had a decline in votes, and SPD, Left, and Free Voters underperformed. Matthias Ecke was disappointed with SPD's performance and found the campaign in Dresden vicious and harsh. Jörg Urban gloated over the victory over the Greens. Sabine Zimmermann expressed satisfaction over the success of BSW and viewed it as a game-changer.
