(MENAFN- Asia Times)
Sunday's elections in two East German states, Saxony and Thuringia, delivered a seismic shift in the Political landscape, underscoring the region's increasing discontent with the federal government's policies on migration and the Ukraine war.
The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) has emerged as the dominant force in the region, significantly outpolling the combined vote share of the ruling coalition parties - Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and Free Democrats (FDP) - by a staggering margin of 3 to 1.
The party-by-party results show that 81% and 82% of voters in both East German states are dissatisfied with the federal government's ruling coalition parties.
Mainstream media widely portrayed the AfD as a neo-Nazi organization in the run-up to the polls, a charge vehemently denied by its leaders, who cast the dissident party in the mold of the 1980s conservativism of the late chancellor Helmut Kohl.
Despite that media drumbeat, according to polls, AfD is now Germany's number two party and the most popular among young voters.
Maximilian Krah, a member of the European Parliament and an AfD leader in Saxony, wrote on X:“This election changes the political landscape in Germany. It will be an exciting autumn in national politics in Germany thanks to the AfD results in the East.” (Asia Times interviewed Krah in June.)
Voter turnout in Saxony and Thuringia was notably higher than in the 2019 elections, signaling an uptick in political engagement that likely reflects the electorate's perception of the heightened stakes.
Turnout rose from 66.6% to 73.5% in Saxony and was up from 64.9% to 73.5% in Thuringia. The AfD reportedly benefitted from a surge of support from young voters.
Saxony: tight race with a clear message
In Saxony, the overall result was particularly close, with the center-right CDU narrowly edging out the AfD 31.8% to 30.8%. Despite the tight margin, the broader political picture has significantly realigned.
The traditional left-wing party, Die Linke, received just 4.5% of the vote while the Greens and SPD garnered 5.2% and 7.3%, respectively. The FDP won just 1% and so will not be included in the new parliament.
The current coalition of Christian Democratic Union, Greens and SPD no longer has a majority in parliament with the Left Party's entry.
Usually, the left-wing party Die Linke would no longer be represented in parliament either, as a 5% vote threshold applies. However, a special provision in Saxony's electoral law allows the party to enter parliament because it has previously won two direct mandates.
MENAFN02092024000159011032ID1108624989
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.