German state elections: voters turn to the right in rebuke to Scholz’s coalition
Worries about the economy and migration pushed up share for far-right AfD in Hesse and Bavaria, while coalition parties did worse
German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s fractious centre-left coalition has received a sharp rebuke from voters in the key states of Bavaria and Hesse, with economic woes and immigration fears boosting the opposition conservatives and the far right.
At the elections on Sunday the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party burst out of its post-industrial eastern strongholds to score its best ever result in a western state. Polls showed it on course to be the second largest party in Hesse, home to the financial capital Frankfurt.
All three parties in Scholz’s federal coalition – his Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) – did worse than five years ago in the states, which together account for about a quarter of the German population.
At this rate, Germany or France could very well be the first to fall to a new wave of Fascism. Either AfD are going to land themselves in a strong coalition government because of how badly the CDU fumbled under Merkel's reign or Le Pen is going to win the next French presidential election because of how deeply unpopular Macron is.
Either outcome would be disastrous for the European Union or even NATO in general. If you thought Britain leaving was bad enough, imagine the EU losing another of its biggest economies. Now imagine that these governments would be pursuing policies in direct opposition to NATO's ideologies.
This is why capitalists are playing a dangerous game with the economy. 1917 Russia and 1930's Germany are living proof that people turn to more radical political beliefs in times of hardship.
What kind of coalition you are talking about ? Right now every other political party has denied them a possible coalition and will continue to do so. Also the CDU you are talking about is sadly performing very strong in the latest elections, so it's gonna be probably them again who will reign in germany
Yea that is a bad situation. Belgium did the same thing and there needed to be a coalition of 7! parties to sideline the right. That many parties never see eye to eye and agree on nothing, it basically puts Belgium without a government because nothing gets done. There is a constant fear if 1 party leaves, the majority is gone and the government will fall.
Childish politicians obviously use this as leverage.
You mean the first after Austria, Poland and Hungary?