Results from Germany’s recent European Election reveal that nearly a quarter of all voters cast their vote in favour of populist parties on either side of the political spectrum. The election results yielded a loss for all three parties that form Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition.
The far-right party, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), experienced significant growth finishing with a close second place, as per the initial poll projections. The AfD received 16.5 per cent of the votes that awarded them 17 seats in the updated parliament.
On the other hand, the newly formed Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), which branched off from the Linke (Left) party and promotes a pro-Russian and anti-immigration stance, secured 5.5 per cent votes that facilitated them five seats in the parliament.
This marked upsurge of 22 per cent for populist parties is deemed as a worrisome trend by Germany’s established parties, particularly considering the dominance of AfD and BSW in eastern regions during the state parliaments’ elections in September.
Furthermore, this election indicates significant alterations within the 96 German parliamentary seats. This makes Germany the largest national group within the European Parliament.
Within Berlin’s already tumultuous three-party “traffic light” alliance, the Green Party experienced the most dramatic loss, falling by almost nine points and potentially losing nine seats in the new parliament.
Mr Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) also faced a considerable loss, dropping nearly two points to 14 per cent, the lowest ever recorded for this party. The liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) however, managed to maintain a steady 6 per cent and is expected to acquire six seats.
The election saw an almost record-breaking turnout of 64 per cent. Additionally, Germany’s low threshold for representation allowed smaller parties to secure almost 11 per cent votes, earning them one or two individual seats.
The centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) were anticipated winners, gaining nearly 30 per cent votes and securing 23 seats in the exit polls.
Ahead of Germany’s next federal election planned for September 2025, CDU officials have ramped up their pressure by questioning the effectiveness of Berlin’s ruling coalition in light of these election results.
[Emmanuel Macron’s call for vigilance against far-right ideologies during his visit to Germany, along with his disagreements with Scholz on critical issues, are additional aspects of the current political dynamics.]
In the aftermath of the recent German elections, Carsten Linnemann, General Secretary of the CDU, questioned the authority of the chancellor to lead, especially given their party only garnered 14 per cent of the vote with election posters displaying the chancellor’s face spread throughout the nation.
A sentiment of disappointment was echoed by the SPD’s Kevin Kühnert admitting the third place was a hard pill to swallow, and by co-leader of Green Party, Ricard Lang, who believed the outcome was not satisfactory to anyone. Katharina Barley, the leader of the socialist bloc SPD, specified on Sunday night that they hadn’t decided yet whether they were going to back Ursula von der Leyen for the position of commission president.
Both electoral victors of the night, AfD and BSW, deduced from the election results a clear desire for a “different Europe”. Alice Weidel, AfD’s leader, claimed that due to increased criticism of the EU, voters were generally disenchanted. She tagged the interference from Brussels as an irritating issue in the lives of European citizens.
In contrast, Sahra Wagenknecht, spokesperson for BSW, noted that her party’s call for a reorientation of EU member states’ aid to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia resonated with voters. Wagenknecht employed strong language when referring to the current state of affairs, expressing her concerns about the war possibly reaching their doorstep and emphasised the significance of diplomatic initiatives.
An initial evaluation of BSW’s debut election performance highlighted the acquisition of votes from diverse parties, specifically SPD, Greens and Linke. The dwindling popularity of centre-left parties, as indicated by the outcomes, may further strain the three-way coalition in Berlin. The broadening disagreements surrounding the early July budget deadline could result in fiscal conflicts as SPD and Green ministers look to maintain their spending plans, while FDP’s finance minister, Christian Lindner, urges major cuts to fulfil his obligations.
In the meantime, the neighbouring Austria saw an impressive victory for the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) with 27 per cent of votes in early exit polls, placing them ahead of the ruling conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) who consequently experienced substantial losses. This triumph marks a first for the populist party in Austria’s post war history.
Despite the rise of populist movements in other areas, the Polish Prime Minster, Donald Tusk, managed to secure another victory for his liberal-centrist coalition. Following announcements of the exit poll results, Tusk expressed his optimism and triumph, stating, “We represent the beacon of hope for Europe” and “Poland demonstrates that democracy is victorious here”. Ipsos exit polls suggest that Tusk’s KO alliance received 38.2% of votes, outperforming the conservative PiS, which garnered 33.9%. If these results are verified, it would mark the first occasion that the PiS, noted for its EU-scepticism, did not achieve the highest polling.