European Elections Provide Wakeup Call for German Traffic Light Coalition
The recently concluded European elections have proven to be a significant test for the traffic light coalition in Germany, with uncomfortable results for the parties involved. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) obtained only 14.1 percent of the votes, a disappointing outcome that could potentially see them fall below their historically poor result of 15.8 percent from five years ago. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) is on the brink of reaching the crucial five percent mark, while the Green party saw a drop to 12.1 percent. In contrast, the Union party managed to maintain its results from the previous European elections, securing 29.6 percent of the votes. The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) saw a significant increase in their support, reaching 16.3 percent and becoming the second strongest party. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) also made a mark by securing 5.7 percent of the votes, even surpassing the FDP. These results highlight six crucial lessons that will impact federal politics and the European landscape. The first lesson is a wakeup call for the traffic light coalition, as the combined support of the SPD, Greens, and FDP now only amounts to approximately 31 percent of all votes, signaling a lack of majority for the coalition. The Greens, in particular, suffered significant losses, dropping over eight percentage points compared to the 2019 European elections. These results serve as a warning for the coalition as they gear up for the upcoming federal elections in just over 15 months.
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