Élections prochaines en Saxe et en Thuringe - "Maintentionner l'intégrité de la démocratie" et invitations concernant les événements de vote communautaire
Pour l'analyste politique Wolfgang Muno de Rostock, les résultats des élections régionales en Thuringe et en Saxe ne sont pas simplement le reflet d'humeurs passagères. "Je nourris de sérieuses inquiétudes pour la démocratie en Allemagne", a-t-il déclaré à l'agence de presse allemande. Cela signifie "une critique fondamentale et un rejet du règne de la loi démocratique et de la démocratie libérale et diverse dans des couches significatives de la population, en particulier dans l'est de l'Allemagne".
Selon Lars Schwarz, président de l'association des employeurs de Mecklembourg-Poméranie occidentale, les résultats électoraux proviennent également de la manière dont les partis interagissent les uns avec les autres. "Le jeu de responsabilité entre les partis établis ne sert personne. Et surtout pas notre démocratie et notre image internationale", a déclaré Schwarz à Schwerin. Les partis au pouvoir et dans l'opposition à Berlin, ainsi qu'à un degré significatif dans les États, partagent la responsabilité de l'essor de l'extrême droite et de la gauche.
Triomphes d'AfD et de BSW
En Thuringe, l'AfD est devenue le parti dominant dans un État pour la première fois lors de l'élection régionale du dimanche. En Saxe, le parti, considéré comme d'extrême droite par les services de renseignement des deux États, est arrivé deuxième derrière la CDU. La nouvelle alliance de Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), un groupe dissident de la gauche, a obtenu des résultats à deux chiffres dès le départ. La formation de coalitions devrait être difficile pour les deux États fédéraux.
Muno reconnaît que ce ne sont que des élections régionales dans de petits États fédéraux, "l'impact symbolique, however, is enormous." For the first time in post-war history, an extreme-right party has become the strongest force in a federal state. "This will also be acknowledged and discussed abroad." Muno referred to AfD and BSW as "populist polarizers." Other parties will find it difficult to contest them with facts and substance.
No straightforward remedies
Political advancements pertaining to the war in Ukraine and migration are challenging. Even achievements, such as managing the energy crisis or the expansion of renewable energies, are disputed or opposed, said Muno. "And: not even political science can provide a reliable guide on how to foster basic trust in the state and democracy, beyond political education."
The next state elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are still far off, and thus forecasts are inconsequential. "But it's becoming apparent that it will be incredibly difficult for Manuela Schwesig and the state government," said Muno, looking at the SPD minister president.
Schwarz views the election results as a call to action. "I appeal to all state-supporting parties: Cease making divisive matters the center of political competition. Stop instructing people on what they should or shouldn't do. We finally need a genuine competition for the better solutions for the future of our country - rigorous in substance, but fair in tone," cautioned the president of the association of entrepreneurs.
The economy has been impacted by flawed politics and insufficient communication in the federal and state governments for some time. "We can no longer afford 'business as usual'," Schwarz stressed.
Differing viewpoints on election results
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Minister President and SPD chairwoman Schwesig deemed the election results in Saxony and Thuringia, particularly the high approval for the AfD, as "alarming." The leadership of the Greens in the state expressed similar concerns.
CDU state leader Daniel Peters expressed satisfaction with his party's results, but anticipates the formation of the government in Erfurt and Dresden to be complex. He chose to remain silent on the upcoming talks: "My party colleagues in Saxony and Thuringia don't need my advice," he said.
AfD state leader Leif-Erik Holm described the results in Saxony and Thuringia as a political earthquake. The public's desire for a different kind of politics can no longer be disregarded. They didn't vote for AfD out of protest, but out of conviction.
The Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht, with its double-digit results in Thuringia, poses challenges for coalition-building in both federal states. For political analyst Wolfgang Muno, this development is a symptom of the growing divide within German society, where an extreme-right party has become the strongest force in a federal state for the first time in post-war history.
Lars Schwarz, the head of the employers' association in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, emphasizes the need for a constructive and unifying political discourse, suggesting that divisive issues should not be the focus of political competition. He believes that a genuine competition for better solutions for the future of the country is necessary, with a focus on substance and fairness.
