WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR: M.J.
The success of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the elections in Thuringia and Saxony is a heavy blow for the parties of Olaf Scholz's federal government, which partially did not cross the electoral threshold in these two federal states in eastern Germany.
"This is a big defeat for us, there's no doubt and now we have to gather our strength and fix what's wrong," said Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) Vice President Lars Klingbeil for public service ZDF, commenting on the outcome of the elections in Saxony and Thuringia.
At the same time, he rejected the possibility of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz dissolving the government a year before regular elections for the federal parliament. "We want to enter the 2025 elections with Olaf Scholz as chancellor candidate," said Klingbeil.
Difficult coalition negotiations in Saxony and Thuringia
According to the 21:00 election forecasts of the public broadcasters ARD and ZDF, in Saxony the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led by the former prime minister of this federal province, Michael Kretschmer, won 31.5 percent of the vote, just one percent more than the Alternative for Germany with 30.4 percent.
Sahra Wagenknecht's Alliance party, founded in January this year, won 11.5 percent. In Saxony, the SPD won 7.4 percent and the Greens 5.4 percent.
The Left party did not manage to cross the electoral threshold of five percent, but will enter the Saxon parliament in Dresden thanks to direct mandates.
"The formation of the government in Saxony will be complex"
Due to the fact that no party wants to enter into a coalition with the AfD, observers estimate that the formation of a government in Saxony will be complex.
"We will lend a hand to anyone with whom we can achieve a policy that is good for this province here in Saxony," said Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU).
It is believed that the CDU and BSW could agree on ending military aid to Ukraine
The previous coalition of the CDU with the SPD and the Greens will most likely not have a sufficient majority in the parliament in Dresden, so there is speculation about a coalition between the CDU, the SPD and the newly founded BSW party.
BSW's main candidate in Saxony Sabine Zimmerman has also shown readiness for a coalition with the CDU. It is believed that the CDU and the BSW could agree when it comes to one of the main political demands of the BSW, which is the end of military aid to Ukraine and the strengthening of diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Kretschmer, unlike the federal CDU, supports diplomatic efforts.
Nobody wants a coalition with the AfD
In Thuringia, the AfD became the strongest party, winning 32.9 percent, which is almost ten percent more than in the last provincial elections five years ago.
CDU came in second place with 23.7 percent, BSW supported 15.6 percent, Left party 12.9 percent and SPD 6.1 percent. The Green Party failed to cross the electoral threshold and the Liberal Democratic Party (FDP) did not enter the parliament, just like in Saxony.
"We achieved a historic victory today, we are arguably the strongest party. Whoever wants a stable government in Thuringia cannot ignore us," AfD chairman for Thuringia Bjoern Hoecke told ARD.
However, in Thuringia, the other parties have ruled out the possibility of a coalition with the AfD in advance, so here too a long and arduous government formation is expected. For now, the possibility of a coalition of CDU, SPD and BSW is mentioned here as well.
A blow to Berlin
After the elections in Thuringia and Saxony, there was above all speculation about the stability of Olaf Scholz's federal government. The parties of his coalition government, the SPD, the Greens and the FDP, achieved disastrous results in the elections in these federal provinces.
In Thuringia, the Greens and the FDP did not cross the electoral threshold, and the SPD here achieved the weakest result in some provincial elections in its history. The FDP did not cross the electoral threshold in Saxony, and the same could happen to the Greens.
Observers estimate that party strategists are waiting for the outcome of the third provincial elections, in three weeks in Brandenburg, where the SPD is currently in power, but the rapid rise of far-right and left-wing parties is also expected.
Migration is still the main topic
In the elections in both federal states, migration was the main topic, which was well used by both the AfD and the BSW, which are against any kind of migration. Both parties also oppose military aid to Ukraine and favor negotiations with Moscow.
Although the federal government has already adopted some measures after the terrorist attack in Solingen that should lead to a reduction in irregular migration, it is expected that, as a reaction to the elections in Saxony and Thuringia, it will soon adopt additional measures to show its determination to reduce number of refugees.
But observers estimate that, if similar results are repeated in the Brandenburg elections, there would be even more pressure on Olaf Scholz and even the collapse of the government and early elections for the Bundestag.
