Germany, electoral defeat for Scholz in Hesse and Bavaria: the test failed

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s troubled coalition suffered heavy losses in elections in the states of Hesse and Bavaria, seen as a crucial test in the middle of his term, as celebrated by the populist far right. According to electoral projections, the three coalition parties – Scholz’s centre-left SPD, the Greens and the liberal FDP – lost ground in the southern state of Bavaria, the country’s largest, and in the southern state of Bavaria, in the west, Hesse. In both states, conservative and right-wing populist parties used the election campaign to attack the Scholz government over migration and energy policy. And it was worth it.

The conservative CSU won in both states, as expected, while the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) recorded consistent growth, once again sounding the alarm about its popularity. In Hesse, the CSU already in government was projected to obtain 34.5% of the vote. The AfD grows by two percentage points, reaching the expected 18%: if confirmed, it would be the party’s best result in the state elections in West Germany and would place it in second place, after the conservatives. All three parties in Scholz’s national coalition dropped a few percentage points, with the SPD and the Greens hovering around 15%, while the FDP fluctuates at 4.9% and could surpass the 5% threshold.

In Bavaria, the CSU won the highest number of votes and has led the government of this state almost continuously since 1946. Although with only 36.7%, according to the expected results, this is the party’s worst result since 1958. The Greens fell slightly to 15%, while the SPD fell to a catastrophic 8%. With the expected 2.8%, the FDP will not even enter the regional parliament. The far-right AfD will not enter government in any of the Landers and no other party will call for the formation of a coalition, but these results will have a broader impact at national level. The poor results triggered some reflection within Scholz’s coalition, with senior figures recognizing that a new approach is needed. The elections were “a signal to the three parties of the traffic light coalition that a different pace is needed when it comes to solving citizens’ problems in this country,” SPD co-chairman Lars Klingbeil told broadcaster Ard.

Source: IL Tempo

\