Record result for AfD
Will elections in Brandenburg be followed by a political thriller?
According to forecasts, the ruling SPD has narrowly held its ground against the AfD in the state elections in the German federal state of Brandenburg and has become the strongest party. However, the far-right party can celebrate a record result. The Greens, on the other hand, are unlikely to make it into the state parliament. According to projections, voter turnout is between 73 and 73.5 percent, the highest since 1990, compared to 61.3 percent in 2019.
According to the projections, the SPD achieved 31.1 to 31.3 percent (2019: 26.2 percent). The AfD, which is classified as a suspected far-right party by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Brandenburg, increased to 29.5% to 29.8% (23.5%). The BSW achieved 12.3 to 12.4 percent from a standing start. At 11.9 percent (15.6), this is the worst result for the CDU in East Germany since 1990. The Greens lose massively and end up with 4.6 to 5 percent (10.8). The Left Party slips to 3 to 3.5 percent (10.7). BVB/Freie Wähler come in at 2.5 to 2.7 percent (5.0), the FDP is below one percent according to the ARD projection.
Parties that fail to reach the five percent hurdle still have a chance via the basic mandate clause: if they win at least one direct mandate, they enter the state parliament - with the number of seats according to their second vote result.
After recent poor results in the European elections and the state elections in Thuringia and Saxony, the SPD can now breathe a sigh of relief - even at federal level. Chancellor Olaf Scholz can hope for a slight tailwind for the German federal elections in a year's time. On the other hand, the Brandenburg figures are bitter for the other two parties, the Greens and the FDP.
Protests against AfD before election party
Protests broke out outside a pub in the Marquardt district of Potsdam, where the right-wing party's election party was being held (see picture below). Posters read, among other things, "No room for the AfD" and "AfD is so ... 1933". According to the AfD, its aim is to "smash" the traffic light coalition in the federal government with an election victory. Despite their good results, the right-wing populists have no prospect of participating in government: No other party wants to work with them. The rise of the AfD has also recently triggered concerns abroad about a shift to the right in Germany, for example among partners in NATO and the EU. The party had already performed strongly in the state elections in Thuringia and Saxony at the beginning of the month.
In Brandenburg itself, Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke, who has been in office for eleven years, had linked his political future to the outcome of the election: The Social Democrat announced that he would relinquish his government post if the AfD came first.
SPD: "There has never been such a race to catch up"
In the evening, Woidke announced that he would probably first talk to the CDU about forming a governing coalition. "We have made a race to catch up that has never been seen before in the history of our country." As so often in history, it was social democrats "who stopped extremists on their way to power", he said, referring to the AfD.
The Secretary General of the CDU, Carsten Linnemann, spoke of a "bitter defeat". Woidke had put all his eggs in one basket with his threat to resign - and won. "This is what credibility looks like." CDU top candidate Jan Redmann does not want to resign from the state chairmanship after the election defeat. "That would send the wrong signal," he said.
AfD leader: "Won gold once and silver twice"
Despite its good performance, the AfD has no prospect of participating in government: No other party wants to work with it. Federal party leader Tino Chrupalla said that they had missed the target of "sending Woidke into retirement". However, the eastern German elections in Thuringia, Saxony and now Brandenburg were successful: "We won gold once and silver twice." The rise of the AfD has also recently triggered concerns abroad about a shift to the right in Germany, for example among EU and NATO partners.
Central Council of Jews: "This must not leave us untouched"
The Central Council of Jews expressed its concern. "If almost a third of voters once again want to see a destructive political party such as the AfD in power and a populist force such as the BSW once again reach double figures, then we must not be left untouched," said Central Council President Josef Schuster.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
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