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Merkel’s Christian Democrats Union (CDU) has achieved its worst result in the history of this political force in regional elections in the southwestern states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate, according to public service broadcasters.
The crushing experienced by the CDU on Sunday raised serious doubts about the prospects of the Conservatives in the general election on September 26, when the Germans will elect the successor to Merkel, who leaves politics.
“Nothing can be done anymore,” writes Der Spiegel, adding that Merkel’s house is on fire.
The failure of the CDU is explained by growing public anger over the stagnation of vaccination of the population against COVID-19, the late start of mass rapid tests and high morbidity, despite several months of quarantine measures.
In the run-up to the territorial elections, Merkel’s CDU and her regional partner in Bavaria, the Christian Social Union (CSU), were also affected by rumors that lawmakers may have benefited from deals to buy face masks at the same time. beginning of the pandemic.
Three conservative-wing MPs resigned in the wake of the scandal, and the CDU / CSU alliance forced all of its lawmakers to declare any financial benefits associated with the coronavirus crisis. The Alliance has also promised “zero tolerance” for attempts by politicians to profit from the pandemic.
Alarm call
CSU Secretary General Mark Blume called the results of Sunday’s vote a “wake-up call” to the alliance between the CDU and the CSU.
If the largest political bloc wants to remain in power when Merkel resigns after 16 years of leadership, it must “urgently demand [visuomenės] trust, ”he said.
“We need clear solutions and a clear direction in the fight against coronavirus,” Blume said.
According to Der Spiegel, the bloc should first decide on a candidate for the post of chancellor.
The new head of the CDU, Armin Laschet, is an obvious choice, but he lacks broad support.
Critics say she lacks a clear political vision other than continuity after the end of the Merkel era.
Laschet must “escape Merkel’s shadow” and “make clear what the party stands for,” Andreas Roedder, a historian at the University of Mainz, a member of the CDU, told Bild.
Public opinion polls suggest that Germans would like to see the popular Bavarian Prime Minister and CSU leader Markus Soeder as chancellor, but he has yet to announce his intention to run.
If Soeder really has the ambition to take over as chancellor, “he must strike now,” wrote the Handelsblatt business daily.
Traffic lights
Merkel collected only 24 percent of the CDU in the rich land of Baden-Württemberg. votes, show preliminary data. Five years ago, the Chancellor’s party received 27 percent of the land. votes.
Baden-Württemberg stands out among other German states because it has been led by Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann of the Green Party for a decade.
The Greens, led by W. Kretschmann, received more than 32 percent. votes is a record victory for this green party.
Kretschmann, 72, now has two options: continue working in coalition with the CDU or form a new alliance with the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the business-friendly Free Democratic Party (FDP).
The decision of the Land Prime Minister is eagerly awaited, as a national government can subsequently be formed on a similar principle.
In recent years, growing concerns about climate change have also increased the popularity of the Greens, and this political force can play a crucial role in the formation of the ruling coalition after the September elections.
In neighboring Rhineland-Palatinate state, popular Prime Minister Malu Dreyer led the SPD to another victory: this political force gathered around 36 percent here. votes.
The CDU in Rhineland-Palatinate received about 26 percent. votes. In 2016, A. Merkel’s party gathered almost 32 percent here. votes.
Dreyer is expected to maintain a “stoplight” coalition with the Greens and the FDP, named for the colors used in the symbolism of these political forces.
The third wave
Conservatives have voted in Germany in preparation for the third wave of COVID-19. However, despite the increase in coronavirus infection observed in the country, schools and non-essential shops are gradually opening here.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany’s leading infectious disease research body, predicts that the peak in morbidity in December, which was about 30,000 a day, could be exceeded by mid-April. new cases of infection.
Merkel and the prime ministers of the 16 federal states will discuss the next steps in the fight against the pandemic on March 22.
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