In the state elections in Lower Saxony, Prime Minister Weil's SPD is once again the strongest force. According to projections, the Social Democrats are ahead of the CDU with their top candidate Althusmann, despite losses. The FDP must tremble to enter the state parliament. The only parties that are growing are the Greens and AfD.
In the state elections in Lower Saxony, Prime Minister Stephan Weil's SPD clearly became the strongest force. According to projections by ARD and ZDF, the Social Democrats are ahead of the CDU, despite losses, with top candidate Bernd Althusmann, who has announced his resignation as state chairman.
The Greens are heading for a record result. They are Weil's partner of choice for the future governing coalition - and according to the numbers, red-green also has a majority in the state parliament. The AfD also gains strongly and achieves a double-digit result. The FDP, on the other hand, is falling and has to worry about entering parliament.
The election campaign was marked by the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The focus was on the energy crisis and the concerns of many citizens about the high prices for gas, electricity and food. National political issues played a secondary role. Before the election, the SPD and CDU had made it clear that they did not want to continue the coalition they formed rather reluctantly in 2017. Instead, both parties announced that they wanted to govern with the Greens.
The election in Lower Saxony was the fourth state election since the federal elections last year, after those in Saarland in March and in Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia in May. In Saarland, the SPD made significant gains and now governs there alone, because the CDU lost heavily and the Greens and FDP made slight gains, but still failed at the five percent hurdle. In Schleswig-Holstein, the SPD and FDP collapsed, and a very strong CDU has ruled there with the Greens, which have also strengthened, since then without the Liberals. In North Rhine-Westphalia, on the other hand, the Greens in particular gained ground, the CDU won slightly, the SPD and, above all, the FDP lost. A black-green alliance now governs there as well, as in Kiel, the FDP was also thrown out of government in Düsseldorf. None of these elections went well for the FDP.
FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki justified his party's poor performance with the traffic light policy and the role of the FDP in it. A significant part of the FDP voters in Lower Saxony are still alienated by the traffic lights in Berlin and the role of the FDP, he said. You got off to a good start at the traffic lights, then Russia's attack on Ukraine happened. He mentioned energy supplies, inflation and concerns about whether the peace could be maintained. "In any case, there have been no reasonable answers to this so far. We will have to work on that or this traffic light will get into trouble." Personnel issues did not play a role after this election, said Kubicki.
The SPD sees a clear government mandate for the SPD. The voters have given the SPD a government mandate and no one else," Weil said in front of supporters in the state parliament. "We fought and we won tonight." He would "interfere very much" in the further federal political discussion, announced Because an. "We will also do everything we can as a country." He is planning an emergency program to help the groups particularly affected by the crisis.
Lower Saxony's interior minister Boris Pistorius said with a view to possible coalitions that he very much wished that it would be enough for red-green. However, it goes without saying that talks should also be held with all democratic parties.
CDU top candidate Althusmann was disappointed and announced his resignation as state chairman. He will inform the state board on Monday that he is no longer available as state head, he said. "That is my personal consequence of the election result."
The voters had given an "obviously clear vote," said Althusmann. The CDU did not achieve the election goal of becoming the strongest force in Lower Saxony. "We humbly accept this vote. The voters have given the SPD a clear government mandate." He congratulated Weil and wished him every success in the future.
Green leader Omid Nouripour, on the other hand, was happy about the expected performance of his party. "Despite adverse circumstances," the Greens had their best result ever there, said the co-chair of the federal party. The Greens are now ready to take responsibility in Lower Saxony. His personal hope is that the FDP will move into the state parliament. The results of the AfD are "terrifying" for democracy. Everyone is called upon to stand up to him. The traffic light in Berlin does this and works together in a spirit of trust.
AfD federal leader Tino Chrupalla justified his party's gains in votes with the dissatisfaction of many citizens with the traffic lights. The AfD is the only party that the federal government is "driving along," said Chrupalla. Chrupalla does not see the fact that many voters only voted for the AfD out of protest and disappointment with the other parties as a problem. It is important that there is a party to which "you can transfer your protest".
With a view to inflation and rising energy prices, the AfD leader reiterated his party's call for the sanctions imposed as a result of the Ukraine war to end and "of course to continue to buy cheap gas from Russia." The German nuclear power plants would also have to keep running.
