German Elections: Is Angela Merkel in for a shock?

Two Crucial Germany state elections in East Germany have taken place over the weekend in Germany. The outright result shows that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s and her coalition partners SPD have managed to cling on for narrow victories in Saxony and Brandenburg. However, this does certainly not tell the full story. These two states were previously seen as strongholds for Mrs Merkel. However, these results show a huge surge in support for Alternative for Germany. Having only been formed in 2013 many are suggesting the inroads made by AfD in these two elections are extremely positive for  Jörg Meuthen who is the party chairman. 

The states contested over the weekend, Saxony and Brandenburg were previously part of the East German DDR. The so-called ‘grand coalition’ would have expected a far stronger showing than was delivered. One exit poll had the AfD at 27.5% with a remarkable 17.8% increase. Saxony may come as the biggest shock. Following the collapse of the USSR, the region has been ruled by CDU prime ministers ever since. 

However, the CDU saw its support drop to 32 percentage points, which is a 7.4% drop from the last election which was held in 2014. Brandenburg has been ruled by the SPD ever since German reunification in 1990. However, the AfD picked up 22.5 percent of the vote and this was a 10% jump from 2014 when the socialists picked up just shy of 32%. The AfD have been incredibly vocal in opposing Merkel’s lax immigration policies, as well as the champion of the ‘disadvantaged East’.  it has also positioned itself as a champion of the relatively disadvantaged east. 

As a relatively new party, AfD were previously unrepresented in the Bundestag. However, the AfD became the parliament’s third-biggest party in the 2017 federal election when they picked up12. 6 percent of the vote. Whilst it would be somewhat naïve to suggest that these two poor results in state elections spell doom for Merkel and her ruling coalition, it is, without doubt, an intriguing barometer into public opinion. Given that Germany is less than two years away from its next from its next federal election should the decline in support continue for Merkel, the previous stance of Germany’s political parties in refusing to work with the AfD may become an untenable option and should the strategy change the AfD would become partly responsible for steering one of Europe’s economic powerhouses going forward.

Oliver Down

Current Affairs Correspondent | My name is Oliver Down I am 22, and a staunch brexiteer. I am a Bristolian lad who studied politics in Leicester. I believe in free speech and accurate journalism and I won’t be afraid to give you “the other side” of the story!

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