German chancellor’s party suffers historic defeat
RTNov 27, 2022
German Voters Deal a Blow to Scholz's Coalition in Bavaria and Hesse Elections
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Image copyright: Sean Gallup/Getty Images
The Facts
Voters delivered a blow to Germany's federal coalition government of the Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday, punishing the three ruling parties and turning to the right in state elections in Bavaria and Hesse.
Provisional results show that Bavaria State Premier Markus Söder's center-right, conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) — which runs for elections solely in the southern state — placed first, receiving 37% of the votes. Right-leaning Free Voters and the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) came in second and third, respectively, combined winning about 30% of the state vote.
The Spin
Left narrative
Despite radical positions usually tending to repel voters, Germany has seen the dangerous rise of the right-wing illiberal AfD at a faster pace than most countries in Europe. Results from Sunday's state elections in Bavaria and Hesse show that ignoring the dangerous far-right party is a failed strategy. Unless German politicians succeed in finding the right message to neutralize AfD, Europe's stability may be endangered.
Right narrative
The claim that the AfD was merely an East Germany phenomenon is dead for good, as it has drained voters from all parties in Bavaria and Hesse. Given the unbalanced political offering in Germany since the conservative CDU/CSU shifted toward the center, it's easy to understand why anti-establishment right-wing parties are gaining ground amid a crisis of trust in established parties.
