Far-right triumphs in Germany: Demand that Scholz makes mandate available

The parties of the ruling coalition in Germany, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), the Greens, and the Liberal Democratic Party (FDP) are the losers of the European Parliament elections today in Germany, and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has become the second strongest party by number of votes, and the strongest political force in eastern Germany.

"The success of the AfD is a historic event. In eastern Germany, we are the strongest force. We cannot wish for a stronger tailwind," said AfD Vice-Chairman Timo Chrupalla this evening after the announcement of incomplete results of the European Parliament elections.

Christian Democrats first, AfD second

He added that these results are strong support ahead of the elections for the parliaments in the eastern federal states of Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg in September.

According to exit polls, the winner of the European elections is the Christian Democratic Union CDU/CSU with 30 percent of the votes, followed by the AfD with 16 percent. The AfD is the strongest political force in the federal states that once belonged to East Germany with 27 percent.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's ruling SPD achieved a weaker result than expected with 14 percent. The Greens, with 12 percent, are the biggest losers compared to the elections five years ago when they won 20 percent. The also ruling FDP won five percent of the votes.

The Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) party, which split from the Left party, won 5.5 percent, and the Left party won three percent of the votes. The chairman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Friedrich Merz, called for a change in political leadership in Germany after today's elections.

"A change is needed"

"Germany needs a political change," Merz said. The CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann has asked Chancellor Olaf Scholz to make his mandate available.

"The Chancellor's party won 14 percent, the CDU/CSU Union more than double that. The government can no longer continue as if nothing happened," Linnemann said.

Despite a drop in popularity due to numerous scandals involving its politicians, the AfD, according to initial analyses, managed to profit from citizens' dissatisfaction with the work of the coalition government. The AfD, as well as the BSW, also profited from the conviction of many voters that the CDU/CSU Union would not do a better job if it were in government either.

During the election campaign, the AfD and BSW also stood out for their criticism of the federal government's support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression.

Immediately after the announcement of the results, AfD leader Alice Weidel and BSW leader Sahra Wagenknecht advocated for the start of peace negotiations in Ukraine. Weidel said that the "demonization" of Vladimir Putin should stop, and Wagenknecht called for a "freezing of the front line" in Ukraine. Other parties sharply reject these proposals.

Initial analyses showed that the AfD was particularly successful among young voters. In the group of those between 16 and 24 years old, the party won 17 percent of the votes. At the same time, the ruling SPD and the Greens performed poorly in this group, with support between 9 and 11 percent.