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For the second week in a row, we have had state parliamentary elections here in Germany. Last week we had elections in Saxony and Thuringia. The respective results are shown below:
The source for both graphics is the Tagesschau website.
And today, we have the following preliminary results for Brandenburg, the state which encompasses Berlin (a separate state... as if Chicago or New York City were states):
The source for this one is RBB24 Inforadio. RBB stands for "Rundfunk Berlin Brandenburg," a local media broadcast corporation.
Things to note include:
The Alternative for Germany /Alternative für Deutschland, is now the strongest or second strongest party in three states in the former East Germany. Since no one wants to form a coalition with them, not the least of all for their shady associations with real, dishonest to God and everyone else Neo-Nazi groups, they are relegated to a spoiler role. That they have valid points to make on immigration, budget, and international relations is not going to help them. Neither is their unwillingness to distance themselves from those groups and individuals (e.g. Björn Höcke).
The CDU has taken a huge hit, after positioning itself as the "Firewall" against the AfD. One major problem is that they have continued to ignore the legitimate concerns about the impact of unchecked migration to Germany and the failures of assimilation, or at least failed to take the concerns of their voters seriously enough.
The Sahra Wagenknecht Federation, listed above as the BSW (Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht) is a self-described "Left-Wing Conservative" party formed by former Left Party member Sahra Wagenknecht earlier this year. Wagenknecht has parleyed her appeal to disgruntled voters who are concerned about immigration, who fear Germany's getting involved in the Russia-Ukraine War, and who want to preserve a strong welfare state into a political success not seen since... the rise of the AfD about 14 years ago.
The SPD pulled off something of a stunning come-from-behind victory in Brandenburg, but only just. Their only hope for an effective coalition is with the CDU and possibly the BSW.
The real losers in all three states have been all of the older establishment parties (CDU, SPD, FDP) and especially the Greens (Grünen), who will not even be in the Brandenburg state parliament this time.
That's the election news from Germany in very, very brief form, thanks in part to encouragement/goading from @Seawriter. Should time and energy allow, I will post more later.
Discussion (12)
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My wife is from Mönchengladbach, and a Leftie, so she is probably not happy with these results. So I guess we’re not going to be talking German politics either! 😂
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Danke, Herr. The East has always been a bit more problematic when it comes to those Neo-Nazi idiots, but the numbers in Saxony are nearly the same. Everyone is looking for something/someone that is not yet there. Thanks for taking the time.
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Thanks, HvA. The word not long ago was that so many people were leaving the East that the plumbing (made to handle a certain amount of flow) wasn't working as intended anymore. Are the "newcomers" settling there, or is everyone getting to take part in all that "diversity?"
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Thanks. What are the number of Greens with seats in Thuringia and Saxony? Will their near-elimination actually have effects on policy, or have the professional politicians so internalised the Green worldview that the policies will continue, regardless?
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They will have 7 seats in the Landstag in Saxony, but none in Thuringia or Brandenburg. This development may impact policy, yes, but that remains to be seen. The only factors in voting for the AfD and BSW that the press wants to see and report on are those relating to mass, unvetted immigration into Germany from the Middle East and North Africa: Criminality, influence of Islam, economic instability. The reaction to Green fanaticism on the AGW front seems to have played less a role this time than it did in the elections in 2019, perhaps because there has been some (very limited) course correction with the E-fuels and electric vehicle mandates, perhaps because there have been several high-profile incidents involving recent asylum seeking arrivals attacking people in trains, trainstations, restaurants, etc. Another factor favoring the AfD and BSW has been fear of increased involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war, according to all the press I've read, which, I admit, is not exhaustive (Cicero, Die Welt, Tagesschau, and der Spiegel are my usual sources, sometimes the NZZ or SZ, rarely the FAZ).
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