On Sunday, around 13.7 million people went to the election in Germany’s most populous states, Northern Rhine-Westphalia. Results were disadvantages to the center-left social democrats (SPD) and a bitter shock for environmental greens.
The Conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) saw a respectable performance, but it was a partially right -wing extremist options for Germany (AFD) that made the strongest advantage.
About 400 cities and municipalities had about 20,000 parliamentary seats at stake in local elections, as well as meership in big cities.
AFD: Votes in western state ‘A referendum in the direction of our country’
The election had no direct result for the federal government in Berlin, but this was the first import test of public opinion after the new alliance took Power 6.
According to the results of the initial state, CDU got the most votes with 33.3%. SPD pursued 22.1%, AFD 14.5%and with greens with 13.5%. The AFD surpassed Greens in Northern Rhine-Westphalia in the federal election held last February.
There were clear losers who lost a significant part of the vote, while the AFD made the result of five years ago to almost three times, making the theme in terms of percentage profit.
AFD state leader, Martin Vincents said on Sunday: “It was a referendum in the direction of our country. And those who ignore the wishes of the voters will be punished by the voters.”
What has changed in Germany since 2020?
However, 2020 is not necessarily useful for evaluation of results with local elections. In 2020, Germany was in the midst of the Kovid -19 epidemic, and the AFD was not as popular across the country as it is now.
In the following years, the people of Northern Rhine-Westphalia first saw a federal government’s collapse of SPD, greens, and neoliberal free democrats (FDP) after a bitter dispute, in which the three parties were given great support.
At that time, home shortage, domestic security and asylum policy were important issues, but no longer they were as they are now. And in 2020, the war in Ukraine was not yet broken, nor did the violence increase in the Middle East.
In other words, many of the issues that are creating uncertainty among German citizens today are not present in 2020 today. The impact of the horrific floods in the Ahar Valley, the massive destruction in the region – is still being felt, a situation that is capable of capitalizing AFD.
State leaders West: ‘We can’t rest’
The CDU state minister, Hendrik West, gave voice to his concerns about the election results. “This result should have a good break for consideration; this mismanagement we cannot relax. Not even my party, who won the election so decisively,” Heer said.
Wust then questioned that, in his view, follow the election results: “What are right.
Necessary, West believes that AFD’s strong performance is above one opposition vote. Hey Himal has been controlling the state since October 2021 and was not for the election on Sunday.
The new federal government in Berlin, made up of CDUs, its Bavarian Sister Party The Christian Social Union (CSU) and SPD, Frederick Merz (CDU) quickly lost popularity, which was chosen as the new Chancellor in May.
The northern Rhine-Westphalia was uniquely important for the election merge in the municipalities, as it comes from the German state to the border of the Netherlands and Belgium.
The Chancellor expected to see AFD performing well. “Tomorrow and Monday evening, I will sit and take a good look at the results, and then draw the best conclusion to run election campaigns and address issues,” he said during the journey of Henkel factory in Dasseldorf last week.
Merz announced that he would “fight very hard on issues, to ensure that the right topics are addressed and the country is on the course.”
AFD Performs well in former SPD stronghold
Beyond the state elections in Northern Rhine-Westfolia, Gelsenkirchen has gained indefinite levels of meditation as the discovery of municipal elections in cities.
In Gelsencanne, a city that is characterized by a dilapidated infrastructure, high unemployment and a large immigrant population, AFD won more other votes than the Ath party in the federal Fedle elections in February.
Before that, for several decades, the city at the center of the Ruhar region was SPD stronghold. Now, like a nearby Duisburg, a run -up election between SPD and AFD candidates.
This article has been translated from German.
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