Voting process - Unions clinch victories in European polls; AfD takes lead in the Eastern regions.
The Union emerges victorious in the European elections and the traffic light enjoys applause, while the AfD experiences substantial growth. The AfD is projected to come in second place nationwide, holding the leading position in Eastern Germany. The SPD, Greens, and FDP must concede losses, resulting in a combined narrow majority of support. Meanwhile, the Left endures defeat, surpassed by the newly formed BSW party led by Sahra Wagenknecht.
As per estimates from ARD and ZDF on Sunday evening, the Union sees a slight boost to 30.2-30.3% (2019: 28.9%). The AfD returns its highest national voting results with 15.9% (2019: 11%), falling short of interim survey values. In the east, the party prevails. The SPD struggles with 13.9-14% (15.8%). The Greens see a steep decline to 11.9% (20.5%), and the FDP maintains a consistent 5-5.1% (5.4%).
The Left languishes at 2.7% (5.5%), recording its worst performance in European elections. BSW claims 6-6.1% from its inception. The Free Voters secure 2.7% (2.2%), and the Volt party stands at 2.5-2.6% (0.7%).
A threshold, like the five-percent hurdle in Bundestag and state elections, does not apply to the European election. Approximately 65% voter turnout is anticipated. Previously, Germany held fifth place among the 27 EU countries with 61.4% participation. For the first time, 16- and 17-year-olds were granted the right to vote in a European election in Germany.
Klingbeil: "A Bitter Defeat"
SPD Chief Lars Klingbeil brands the election outcome as "bitter defeat." "There's nothing attractive to say about it," he remarked at the SPD headquarters in Berlin. Our next course of action will involve analyzing what contributed to this result. "I believe it's evident that we need to make significant changes." SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert concurs, expressing his sentiments similarly in the ARD. There is no debate surrounding Chancellor Olaf Scholz's (SPD) position, according to Kühnert.
The former SPD leader, Sigmar Gabriel, casts doubt over Klingbeil and Saskia Esken's leadership: "Given 14% support, there's no one with unquestioned claims to lead the SPD," he stated in the Tagesspiegel. "In the context of the SPD, those responsible, that is, the elected party leadership, must now consider their own culpability in this calamity." The coalition government's rejection is also a "deafening slap in the face" for the traffic light.
Merz issues a warning to the federal government
CDU leader Friedrich Merz calls for corrective measures from the federal government in the coming days. This is crucial for the nation. The election night is now "the genuine last warning" for the traffic light coalition before the Bundestag election next year. The SPD, Greens, and FDP coalition is damaging Germany in areas like migration and economic policies. CSU leader Markus Söder asserts, "The traffic light has been deemed unacceptable by citizens."
AfD leader Tino Chrupalla hails the historic results of his party. "I'm told we're now the leading force in the east for this election," he commented to the German Press Agency in Berlin, anticipating the upcoming state elections in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg in September.
Greens Chairperson Ricarda Lang reacted dismayed by the loss of votes for her party. "This is not the mandate we went into this election with, and we'll work on changing that," she said in the ARD.
FDP lead candidate Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann points out that her party has maintained its result from the previous European election. "Maintaining a stable five percent is a positive outcome," she said in the party headquarters in Berlin. General Secretary Bijan Djir-Sarai declined to address whether he still held faith in the chancellor. "That's not relevant," he told the ARD.
Disappointed Left, Satisfied BSW
Left party head Martin Schirdewan laments a disappointing evening. The Left failed to push its agenda forward, despite resonating with people's everyday concerns, such as wages, rents, price inflation, redistribution, social climate protection, and peace policy. Unable to counter the right-wing and entrenched positions of other parties, they underperformed.
Sahra Wagenknecht, the founder of BSW party, felt contentment and relief after the successful performance of her alliance. "There's much untapped potential that we wish to cultivate in the upcoming elections," she remarked. Wagenknecht acknowledged the necessity of a diplomatic approach in Russia's war against Ukraine. "Many people are concerned that the conflict could spill over to us as well," she added.
European Middle-Right Triumph
The middle-right alliance, EVP, headed by CDU politician Ursula von der Leyen, emerged victorious in the European elections. As per the initial projections from the European Parliament, Von der Leyen might hope for another term as EU Commission President. The pro-European camp remains the largest despite significant gains from far-right parties.
Before the elections, there were predictions of a right-wing surge in multiple EU countries, including Germany. At one time, polls suggested the AfD could surpass 20%. However, the party faced a disadvantage due to controversies surrounding its two most prominent figures. Maximilian Krah was implicated in possible connections to pro-Russian networks, while Petr Bystron faced allegations of bribery and money laundering.
Krah, an MEP since 2019, has also recently faced intense criticism for trivializing the SS, the Nazi paramilitary group. The federal executive committee of the AfD requested that Krah no longer participate in the campaign. Consequently, all German AfD MPs were excluded from the right-wing faction, ID, in the European Parliament.
A total of 360 million citizens were entitled to vote in the 27 EU member states, of whom around 61 million were Germans. Between Thursday and Sunday (depending on the country), 720 MPs were elected for the new European Parliament, and 96 were chosen in Germany on the final day.
In parallel to the European elections, polls were also held for local offices in eight federal states: Baden-Württemberg, Brandenburg, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, and Saxony-Anhalt. In Thuringia, various district president and mayoral positions were decided through runoff elections.
[image:https://i.imgur.com/2g7XLyx.jpg]
[header:Sahra Wagenknecht]
[unordered_list start=1] [li]Satisfaction and relief after the performance of her alliance [li]Potential to be built on [li]Diplomatic approach in Russia's war against Ukraine [li]Fears of the conflict spilling over[/
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The SPD Chief Lars Klingbeil, lamenting the election outcome, labeled it as a "bitter defeat." In Thuringia, Sahra Wagenknecht and her newly formed BSW party secured impressive results. The CDU leader Friedrich Merz warned the federal government, stating that the election night served as a "last warning" before the Bundestag election next year. The Greens Chairperson Ricarda Lang expressed disappointment over the loss of votes.
Meanwhile, the FDP lead candidate Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann maintained her party's result from the previous European election. The AfD leader Tino Chrupalla celebrated historic results in Eastern Germany, anticipating success in upcoming state elections. In Brussels, the middle-right alliance, EVP, headed by Ursula von der Leyen, emerged victorious in the European elections.
Klingbeil, addressing the SPD headquarters in Berlin, acknowledged the need for substantial changes to counter their dismal performance. Wagenknecht, founder of BSW, expressed satisfaction with the party's performance and stressed the necessity of a diplomatic approach regarding Russia's war against Ukraine. The SPD's Sigmar Gabriel called into question Klingbeil and Saskia Esken's leadership in the aftermath of the election.
Merz called for corrective measures from the federal government, insisting that the traffic light coalition is damaging Germany with its policies. The Left party leader Martin Schirdewan lamented their failure to push their agenda forward, despite resonating with people's concerns. Sarah Wagenknecht and the BSW party, meanwhile, saw untapped potential to cultivate in upcoming elections.
The far-right AfD party faced disadvantages due to controversies surrounding its two prominent figures during the elections. Maximilian Krah was accused of connections to pro-Russian networks, and Petr Bystron faced allegations of bribery and money laundering. Despite the right-wing surge predictions, the party underperformed compared to earlier polls.
The European elections saw approximately 61 million Germans among the total 360 million eligible voters, casting their votes for 720 MPs across the 27 EU member states. The SPD's Klingbeil called for an analysis of the election outcome's contributing factors, while the CDU's Merz warned the federal government of potential damage from their policies.
