Scholz’s Party Reels From ‘Disastrous’ Results in German State Elections

Social Democratic Party Secretary General Kevin Kuhnert claimed the SPD’s poor performance was mainly caused by the much-criticized work of the federal government.

The German government’s three-party coalition has suffered heavy losses in Sunday’s state elections in Bavaria and Hesse, according to preliminary results.

All three parties in the coalition, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), lost support in the October 8 elections, in which almost 14 million people were eligible to vote.

Scholz’s party showed the worst results in both states since the Second World War, notably obtaining less votes compared to the 2018 elections. The SPD gained 15% (-5) in Hesse and 8% (-2) in Bavaria, Germany’s biggest state.

The Greens obtained 15% (-3) in Bavaria and 15% (-5) in Hesse, while the FDP reached 3% (-2) and 5% (-2), respectively, according to the latest vote projections.

Commenting on the matter, an influential German magazine reported that Sunday's polls were an "interim report card" for Scholz's coalition, which has reportedly been slammed over its policy to tackle pressing issues related to economic hardships, a rise in illegal migration and the Ukraine crisis.

“The results [of the elections] are disastrous. The coalition needs a reset if it wants to be re-elected in two years," the magazine pointed out.

SPD Secretary General Kevin Kuhnert, for his part, told a German broadcaster that “If all the coalition parties lose in both federal states, then this also sends a message to Berlin.” He argued that the results were mainly caused by the performance of the federal government.

The conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party was the winner of both elections, per provisional results. The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party reached its best result ever, with 18% (+5) in Hesse and 16% (+6) in Bavaria.

German media reported that migration policy was on voters’ minds, with 83% of all voters in Bavaria and 73% in Hesse saying in exit polls that they want to see a “different asylum and migration policy, so that fewer people come."