Armin Laschet, the center-right Union bloc candidate of outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel, says his party will do “everything possible” to form a new government, despite facing what is expected to be its worst result in Germany. post-World War II. .
Germany’s center-left Social Democrats were locked in a tight race Sunday with the Union bloc in the country’s general elections, according to exit polls. Both appeared to have around 25% voter support.
Laschet said Sunday that “we cannot be satisfied with the result” predicted by exit polls. He said that “the result puts Germany, the Union, all democratic parties before great challenges.”
Laschet said Germany will likely have its first national government made up of three parties. He said that “we will do everything possible to form a government under the leadership of the Union, because Germany now needs a coalition for the future that modernizes our country.”
Laschet was surrounded by his party’s top brass, including Merkel, as he spoke at his headquarters in Berlin.
Germany’s center-left Social Democrats were locked in a tight race Sunday with the Union bloc in the country’s general elections, according to exit polls. Both appeared to have around 25% voter support.
Laschet said Sunday that “we cannot be satisfied with the result” predicted by exit polls. He said that “the result puts Germany, the Union, all democratic parties before great challenges.”
Laschet said Germany will likely have its first national government made up of three parties. He said that “we will do everything possible to form a government under the leadership of the Union, because Germany now needs a coalition for the future that modernizes our country.”
Laschet was surrounded by his party’s top brass, including Merkel, as he spoke at his headquarters in Berlin.
The general secretary of the center-left Social Democrats says he believes his party was mandated to form a governing coalition, based on exit polls in Germany’s general elections.
Lars Klingbeil spoke moments after the two major television stations published the exit polls on Sunday.
In a survey by the ZDF channel, the SPD was slightly ahead of its main rival, the center-right Union bloc, from 26% to 24%. In the poll published by the ARD channel, the parties shot even 25%.
Polls suggested significant gains for the Social Democrats, compared to their position earlier this year, and a sharp drop for the Union bloc. Klingbeil says the party now “has a mission to form a coalition” and that its main candidate, Olaf Scholz, becomes chancellor.
The center-left Social Democrats were locked in a tight race Sunday with outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right bloc, which is heading for its worst result since 1949 in the country’s parliamentary elections, exit polls showed.
Officials from both parties said they hope to lead Germany’s next government and have its candidates succeed Merkel, who has been in power since 2005.
An exit poll for public television ARD put voter support at 25% each for the Social Democrats, who are nominating outgoing Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz as chancellor, and Merkel’s Union bloc under the future state governor. , Armin Laschet.
Another exit poll for ZDF public television put the Social Democrats ahead by 26% to 24%. Both place Green environmentalists in third place with support of around 15%. Those results would be the worst for the Union bloc in post-WWII Germany.
The electoral system normally produces coalition governments, but postwar Germany had never seen a winning party obtain less than 31% of the votes that the Union won in 1949. That was also the worst result of the center-right bloc until now.
Given the predictions of the exit polls, creating the next coalition government for Europe’s largest economy could be a long and complicated process. Merkel will remain as interim leader until a new government is established.
Exit polls also put support for the business-friendly Free Democrats at 11-12% and the Left Party at 5%. The far-right Alternative for Germany party, with which no other party wants to work, won up to 11% of the vote.
The secretary general of Laschet’s Christian Democratic Union, Paul Ziemiak, acknowledged that his bloc had suffered “bitter losses” compared to the last elections four years ago, in which he obtained 32.9% of the votes. But he said it would be a “long election night” and pointed to the possibility of a pro-business coalition with the Greens and Free Democrats.
His Social Democratic counterpart, Lars Klingbeil, declared that his party “is back” after languishing for years at the polls and obtaining only 20.5% of the vote in 2017. He said that “with this, we have a mission to form a coalition”. He would not say which coalition partners would be contacted.
Scholz could also form a coalition with the Greens and the Free Democrats, if the exit polls hold up. The Greens traditionally lean toward Scholz’s party and the Free Democrats toward Laschet’s. In the German elections, the party that finishes first is better placed, but not guaranteed, to provide the next chancellor.
The Social Democrats have been boosted by Scholz’s relative popularity after a long election crash and by the turbulent campaigns of his rivals. The Greens’ first chancellor candidate, Annalena Baerbock, suffered early mistakes and Laschet, the governor of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, struggled to motivate her party’s traditional base.
Greens general secretary Michael Kellner said “we won a lot, but it’s hard for me to really enjoy it.” He noted that his party has said that it prefers to work with the Social Democrats, but said that “we are willing to talk to all democratic parties to see what is possible.”
Another possible government combination would be a repeat of the outgoing “grand coalition” of Germany’s large traditional parties, the Union, and the Social Democrats, should Scholz or Laschet finish ahead. But neither rivals are likely to have much of an appetite for it afterward. forming an often tense alliance for 12 of Merkel’s 16 years in power.
About 60.4 million people in the nation of 83 million were eligible to elect the new Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, which will elect the next head of government.
Merkel will not be an easy leader to follow, as she has earned accolades for leading Germany through several major crises. His successor will have to oversee the country’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, which Germany has so far weathered relatively well thanks to large rescue programs.
Laschet insists there should be no tax increases as Germany pulls out of the pandemic. Scholz and Baerbock favor higher taxes for the richest Germans and also support an increase in the minimum wage.
Germany’s main parties have significant differences in their proposals to tackle climate change. The Laschet Union bloc is pinning its hopes on tech solutions and a market-driven approach, while the Greens want to raise carbon prices and end coal use earlier than planned. Scholz has emphasized the need to protect jobs as Germany moves to greener energy.
Foreign policy did not appear much in the campaign, although the Greens favor a tougher stance towards China and Russia.
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Frank Jordans, Kirsten Grieshaber, and Karin Laub contributed to this report.
Reference-www.thestar.com