The results dare a new coalition of social democrats and greens in that region
The German Social Democratic Party (SPD) and its candidate and regional prime minister, Stephan Weil, were declared winners this Sunday in the parliamentary elections in the state of Lower Saxony, ahead of the conservatives of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). ) and the rest of the formations competing for seats in the Hanover parliament. The result is support and relief for the Tripartite Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals who rule the country from Berlin, but especially for the SPD, which had suffered a significant loss of popularity in the last national polls. The election campaign in Lower Saxony had become a litmus test for the coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as its measures to deal with the energy crisis and the effects of high inflation are issues that worry voters more than problems in their own region.
However, both the Social Democrats and the Conservatives lost percentages compared to the previous election five years ago, with the SPD gaining more than 33% of the vote and the CDU nearly 28%, according to initial results after the count began. the closure of polling stations. The only formations to win percentages in Germany’s last regional elections of the year were The Greens and the ultra-nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD), both by more than five points compared to the 2017 elections, up 14% and slightly more than 11 %, respectively. The Liberals (FDP) are around the 5% mark and will have to wait for the last vote to be counted to see if they win seats in the regional chamber. For its part, the left, with less than 3%, will have no parliamentary representation.
“We fought and in the end we won,” said a smiling Stephan Weil half an hour after the polls closed, who has ruled Lower Saxony for ten years and will be able to do so for one more legislature. Voters “have mandated the SPD to form a government and no one else,” said the Social Democratic politician, speaking of a “tough and unpleasant” campaign due to the presence of groups of troublemakers from the so-called non-conformist movement on the streets. his meetings. In spite of everything, he stressed that “we have lived weeks marked by citizens’ deep concerns” due to the rise in energy prices and basic needs, also as a result of runaway inflation.
The possible outcome points to the end of the last grand coalition ruling in a German state. The Christian Democrats, with the worst result in their history in the North German region, have hitherto been the forced partner, in the absence of alternatives, for the government of the Social Democratic Weil. This has spent the campaign announcing that, if the numbers are correct, Los Verdes would be its first option to negotiate a new regional government alliance. The exit polls and the recount of the first votes support this initiative. The results indicate that over the next five years, social democrats and ecologists will have a sufficient majority of seats in the regional parliament to govern together. The Liberals could even join the team, if they eventually get more than 5% of the vote, to replicate the Berlin coalition.
The tripartite “has won a clear majority in Lower Saxony,” SPD secretary general Kevin Künert said, while Greens chairman Omid Nouripour celebrated the result as a “huge vote of confidence” in the Berlin vote. Managerial. “This is a committee for us to govern,” Nouripour said, assuming the coalition of Social Democrats and Greens in the northern German region is practically a reality.
Also the supporters of the xenophobic and anti-European formation Alternative for Germany have reason to rejoice, which has achieved the best result so far in Lower Saxony. National-level president Timo Chrupalla confirmed that this rise is due to popular dissatisfaction with the work of the Scholz Executive and that the AfD is the only party capable of “intimidating” the federal government. Alternative for Germany, however, remains a pariah in German politics. All other formations keep it completely isolated by vetoing alliances, pacts or collaborations with the ultra-nationalists at the national, regional or municipal level.
Source: La Verdad
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