The far right grew again in the state elections for Parliament, this Sunday (20), in Germany. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party appears in the lead, while in Berlin the Left party is ahead, according to preliminary results. The result points to a new defeat for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s party.
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the AfD achieved around 37% of the vote, followed by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) with 35.5%. The CDU had a vote close to 5.5%, which could prevent the party from occupying seats in the state Parliament. Despite the AfD’s leadership, the other parties remain firm in their decision to maintain a “cordon sanitaire” and reject the possibility of a coalition with the party.
In Berlin, A Esquerda came in first place, with around 24.5%, followed by the CDU, with 20%. The AfD appears in third, with 16%. In the country’s capital, the electoral debate was marked by discussions about the housing crisis and rising rental prices.
After the polls closed, Merz made a statement considered “unusual” and acknowledged that the result, especially in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, was a disaster for his party. The chancellor stated that he intends to remain in office and promised to move forward with reforms to face the country’s economic and political problems.
Merz stated that he takes responsibility for the results and declared that the reforms will require “courage, firmness and patience”. According to the chancellor, the changes could be a response to the advance of authoritarian ideas in the country. The statement comes after weeks of pressure within the CDU itself regarding its leadership, since, in 2018, when he was running for the post of party president, Merz promised that, under his leadership, support for the AfD could be reduced by half, which did not happen and, in territories such as Saxony-Anhalt, the opposite happened, with the AfD doubling its vote.
This Sunday’s elections take place two weeks after the AfD’s historic advance in Saxony-Anhalt, where the far right won 43.8% of the vote on September 6, while the CDU fell to 17.2%. At the time, Merz said he was “deeply shocked” by the defeat and said he did not intend to abandon the government.
*With information from Deutsche Welle and Opera Mundi
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
