Prime Minister Markus Söder’s CSU clearly became the strongest force in the state elections in Bavaria – albeit with a historically weak result. According to the first forecasts, the Free Voters will win significantly with top candidate Hubert Aiwanger. Both parties can therefore continue their government alliance as intended. The right-wing AfD also made a big gain.
The FDP is sinking and will likely fail clearly at the five percent threshold and be thrown out of state parliament. According to the projections, the CSU is 36.9 percent. This means that the party, which has been leader of government in the Free State for 65 years, drops below the disastrous result from 2018 (37.2 percent). Even then it had already dropped by more than 10 points.
Losing traffic lights
The Free Voters improved significantly to 14.1 percent (2018: 11.6). The Greens lost slightly to 15.9 percent and did not come close to their record result of 17.6 percent from 2018. The AfD is gaining strongly and is projected to rise to 15.8 percent (10.2 percent). The SPD, on the other hand, only achieved a measly 8.5 percent (9.7) – this would be the worst result ever in a Bavarian election. The FDP will probably miss entry to parliament by 3 to 3.1 percent (5.1) – see also the graph below.
All three parties in the Berlin traffic light coalition, consisting of the SPD, the Greens and the FDP, had to accept losses compared to the elections five years ago – analogous to the current poor polls at the federal level. At the end of September, Söder mocked the regional associations as “euphoric traffic light performers”.
A solid majority for the current government
According to forecasts, the CSU will get 83 to 84 seats in the state parliament. The Free Voters have 32 seats and the Greens 35 to 36 seats. The AfD will get 34 to 36 seats, the SPD 19 seats.
Voter turnout is reported to be 76 percent; In 2018 this was 72.4 percent. About 9.4 million people were eligible to vote in Germany’s largest state by area, which is about the size of Ireland.
Flying high after the brochure affair
Aiwanger and his Free Voters made significant gains – despite or because of the affair surrounding an anti-Semitic and inhumane pamphlet found in the now 52-year-old’s possession while he was at school. In late August, his brother was accused of being the author. After a few days, Aiwanger apologized and emphasized that he had never been a Jew-hater. At the same time, however, he counterattacked and complained about a political campaign against him. Surveys show that Free Voters then experienced a strong increase.
Despite great pressure, Söder remained loyal to Aiwanger as Minister of Economy and Deputy Head of Government – to maintain “proportionality” and probably also because of the desired new edition of the government coalition. Söder has repeatedly categorically ruled out a possible black-green government alliance.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
