Cheers from the CSU and CDU, disappointment of the traffic lights. The SPD, the Greens and the FDP suffered setbacks in both elections. This leads to a discussion about the main candidate, especially among the Social Democrats.
In Bavaria, the CSU celebrates the first numbers of the state elections, and in Hesse the CDU celebrates. The winners of the last elections are once again ahead. There is correspondingly great joy in the State Chancellery in Munich and Wiesbaden.
What the winners say
The CSU spoke of a good result in Bavaria. “We are leading the next government in Bavaria,” said CSU regional group leader Alexander Dobrindt in the ARD. He told the Free Voters that the Bavarian coalition with the FW was a counterpart to Berlin’s traffic lights. “The coalition has been confirmed.” When it comes to migration, the traffic light doesn’t work, Dobrindt said.
CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann also praised the “strong result” in Bavaria. As far as Hesse was concerned, he was even more positive: The result of Hessian Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU) was excellent, said Linnemann. Party leader Friedrich Merz also contributed to this with his support for the election campaign.
SPD in a dilemma
The night is bitter for the SPD. The Chancellor’s Party performed historically poorly in both state elections. This is not surprising, given the current poor poll numbers, but there is disillusionment in Willy Brandt’s Chamber. SPD General Secretary Kevin Kühnert spoke on ARD about a “message to Berlin” that all traffic light parties performed poorly. It is necessary to recognize that “the general mood weighs on people’s minds and that more guidance is needed”.
The next few days are likely to be difficult for Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser of the SPD. As the main candidate in Hesse, she was unable to convince and achieved the SPD’s historically worst result in Hesse. However, Kühnert wanted to nip a personal debate about the Federal Minister of the Interior in the bud: “We support Nancy Faeser-because of her work,” said Kühnert. Her authority as a federal minister was not undermined, he said. “I can also speak for the entire party leadership.” It was a state political vote.
Demand for Faeser’s resignation
Left-wing politician Sahra Wagenknecht called for Faeser’s resignation. “Whoever fails in Wiesbaden has no place in Berlin,” Wagenknecht told the dpa news agency. “The voters’ red card should be followed by the Chancellor’s dismissal.” CDU General Secretary Linnemann also criticized Faeser: “Ms. Faeser was punished,” he said on ZDF. “She has lost credibility.” The country is going through a migration crisis in which it is necessary to finally take action and Faeser is responsible as Minister of the Interior.
Faeser’s initial reaction was calm. The SPD result was “very disappointing,” she said. As the main candidate, she had a “special role”. “Unfortunately I couldn’t help you with this”, she lamented to her followers. “Let’s spend tonight and the next few weeks together.”
The FDP under pressure
The mood in the traffic light coalition could become uncomfortable if the FDP actually fails to enter the state parliament of Bavaria and Hesse. Then liberals could try to leave their mark even stronger on the federal government. “We will have to have discussions in the coming weeks,” said FDP Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger. However, she admitted that some discussions could have gone more smoothly.
“It is clear that we can see that the actions of the Berlin government are also having an impact on the state elections,” said Stark-Watzinger. “All three coalition parties suffered losses here in Hesse.”
The Greens want to stay the course
“These are stable results, even if they are not what we wanted,” federal Green Party leader Ricarda Lang said on ZDF after the first predictions. This is a good basis for the future, and in Bavaria the Greens also have the opportunity to take second place behind the CSU. It is with concern that the three traffic light parties, namely the SPD, Greens and FDP, have failed to make gains.
Green Party leader Omid Nouripour also spoke of stable results for his party in difficult times. The federal government needs to work on “the operation of traffic lights”. You do a lot of good things and sometimes you mess it up.
AfD: “It surpasses everything in the past”
The AfD benefited from the weakness of the traffic light parties. Party leader Alice Weidel was “extremely proud” of her party’s performance in the state election. This forecast is so good that it “surpasses everything that has been done in the past”, emphasized the AfD leader. “We are on the right way.” Weidel added that her party is scoring points with its problems. She cited as an example the “educational policy that we denounce”.
She also saw her party’s strength as a sign of people’s dissatisfaction with the federal government’s “prohibition policy.” Regarding the federal government, she spoke of a realistic chance of participating in the government in 2025.