‘The AfD is damaging Germany’, German chancellor says as far-right leads in Thuringia
Deborah Cole
The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has urged mainstream parties to exclude “rightwing extremists”, after preliminary results showed the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) had come top in a state election, while a new populist force on the left established a firm foothold in the country’s political landscape
Voters in two closely watched elections in the former communist east made clear their dissatisfaction with Germany’s mainstream political parties, putting the AFD in the top spot in Thuringia, with 32.8% of the vote, and second place in Saxony, with 30.6%, according to preliminary results.
Scholz called the results “bitter” and “worrying”.
“Our country cannot and must not get used to this. The AfD is damaging Germany. It is weakening the economy, dividing society and ruining our country’s reputation,” Scholz said, adding that the most dire predictions, that his centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) might fall out of a state parliament for the first time, had not materialised.
Key events
‘A dark day for Germany is a dark day for Europe’: European liberals react to German state elections
Valérie Hayer, a French politician who serves as president of the liberal Renew Europe, has said that “a dark day for Germany is a dark day for Europe. The election result in Thuringia and Saxony is unprecedented.”
“We shall not let Europe give in to racist, antisemitic, misogynist and homophobic movements,” she said.
A dark day for Germany is a dark day for Europe. The election result in Thuringia and Saxony is unprecedented. We shall not let Europe give in to racist, antisemitic, misogynist and homophobic movements.
We shall more than ever stand up for our democratic values. They are never…
— Valérie Hayer (@ValerieHayer) September 2, 2024
Similarly to countries like the United States, Germany’s 16 states have considerable powers.
While the federal government is responsible for foreign affairs and defence, states play a role in policymaking in areas ranging from education to policing and health care.
The states have their own parliaments and coalition governments.
Here’s an explainer from the German Bundestag:
The Federal Republic of Germany is a federal state made up of 16 constituent states – the Länder. Accordingly, there are federal laws that apply for the whole territory of the Federation, and Land laws that only have validity in the Land in question.
Land laws may not conflict with federal laws. Article 31 of the Basic Law states that “Federal law shall take precedence over Land law.” This is intended to ensure that, as far as possible, “equitable living conditions” prevail throughout the federal territory.
The legislative competencies of the Federation and the Länder are regulated in detail by the Basic Law. Articles 71 to 74 list the legislative powers of the Federation. In all other cases, the Länder are responsible.
Exclusive legislation
In the fields subject to the exclusive legislation of the Federation, the Länder only have the power to adopt legislation where they are expressly empowered to do so by a federal act.
The Federation holds exclusive legislative competence in the following fields: all foreign policy issues, defence, including the protection of the civil population, citizenship, currency and money, the unity of the customs and trading area and cooperation between the Federation and the Länder concerning criminal police work.
Concurrent legislation
In fields subject to concurrent legislation, the Länder have the right to adopt legislation provided and in so far as the Federation makes no use of its legislative powers in the same field. The Federation has the right to adopt legislation in these fields provided it is intended to establish equitable living conditions in the federal territory or maintain Germany’s legal and economic unity. Civil law, criminal law, the prison system, road traffic, the law of association and assembly, the law relating to the residence and establishment of foreign nationals, business law, consumer protection and the benefits granted to members of the public service are all among the fields subject to concurrent legislation.
Here is the seat distribution in the Thuringia state parliament following yesterday’s election.
The far right won the most seats.
THÜRINGEN | Vorläufiges amtliches Endergebnis der Landtagswahl
Sitzverteilung
AfD: 32 (+10)
CDU: 23 (+2)
BSW: 15 (NEU)
LINKE: 12 (-17)
SPD: 6 (-2)
GRÜNE: 0 (-5)
FDP: 0 (-5)Änderungen zum Wahlergebnis von 2019
Mit Mehrheit…
AfD+CDU: 55
CDU+BSW+LINKE: 50#ltwth pic.twitter.com/5nEqIf0IKF— Deutschland Wählt (@Wahlen_DE) September 1, 2024
‘The AfD is damaging Germany’, German chancellor says as far-right leads in Thuringia
Deborah Cole
The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has urged mainstream parties to exclude “rightwing extremists”, after preliminary results showed the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) had come top in a state election, while a new populist force on the left established a firm foothold in the country’s political landscape
Voters in two closely watched elections in the former communist east made clear their dissatisfaction with Germany’s mainstream political parties, putting the AFD in the top spot in Thuringia, with 32.8% of the vote, and second place in Saxony, with 30.6%, according to preliminary results.
Scholz called the results “bitter” and “worrying”.
“Our country cannot and must not get used to this. The AfD is damaging Germany. It is weakening the economy, dividing society and ruining our country’s reputation,” Scholz said, adding that the most dire predictions, that his centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) might fall out of a state parliament for the first time, had not materialised.
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