Surprising electoral victory for Christian Democrats Germany

After the polls put Angela Merkel's party in a neck-and-neck race with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the CDU pulled a full 16 percentage points clear on election day, with 7 points more than it got in the 2016 state election.

CDU-member and current Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt Reiner Haseloff thanked the electorate in his federal state: “I am grateful that it went like this. Also, because it is a sign to the outside world.” The apparent defeat of the AfD against the CDU is good for the image of the state”, wrote German news site Frankfurter Rundschau.

The right-wing populist party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) lost almost five per cent of the votes, while it had nearly 25 per cent of the votes in 2016. In the past five years, the party made headlines with internal power struggles and scandals. Other parties that lost were the left-wing radical party Die Linke, with a 5 per cent loss at 11,2 per cent of the vote and the Social Democrats (SPD), with a loss of 2,2 per cent at 8,4 per cent of the vote. The Greens won slightly, with a growth of 0,8 per cent at 5,9 per cent. The liberal FDP doubled that, towards a total of 6,4 per cent of the vote. This writes German broadcaster Tagesschau.

Kenya

Right now, the Christian Democrats rule together with the Greens and the Social Democratic SPD. They form a so-called Kenya coalition after the colours of the Kenyan flag: black-red-green. Although these three parties still hold a majority in the government, it is not a given that this coalition continues. According to German broadcaster ZDF, the Greens are still extremely unpopular in large parts of the CDU. Other options for the CDU include coalitions with the SPD or FPD.

Almost all parties exclude the AfD from participation in government in advance. The internal security service is monitoring the AfD. The service suspects the party of right-wing extremism because, according to an investigation, it attacks human dignity, rejects the principles of the rule of law and undermines democracy.

Chancellorship

The coronavirus unsurprisingly marked the elections. Because of the pandemic, there were no large gatherings beforehand. The Christian Democratic Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff organised intimate meetings, just like the other party leaders. For the last few days, Haseloff had party leader Armin Laschet by his side. However, Haseloff would have preferred Markus Söder, the Bavarian Prime Minister, to be his companion.

Haseloff had a strong preference for Söder as a candidate for the chancellorship. Still, the party leadership pushed Laschet forward for the general elections on September 26th.

Victory

The regional elections of Saxony-Anhalt were the last elections before the general elections in September. The national branch of the CDU calls the regional gain a “boost” and a “victory for Armin Laschet”, who is to succeed Angela Merkel.