German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks at the last Social Democratic Party rally before the 2024 European elections at Koenig-Heinrichplatz in Duisburg, Germany.
Tang Ying | Noor Photos | Getty Images
The far-right Alternative for Germany party made significant gains in Sunday’s EU elections despite a series of scandals, but pressure is mounting on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
According to statistics, the Alternative for Germany received 15.9% of the vote Preliminary resultsdefeated the Social Democratic Party (SPD) led by Scholz and its two coalition partners in Germany’s current government – the Green Party and the Free Democratic Party (FDP).
The SPD lost support in the 2019 election, winning only 13.9% of the latest vote. The Green Party’s support dropped sharply from 20.5% in 2019 to 11.9% in 2024, while the Liberal Democrats’ support fell only slightly, taking 5.2% of the vote in the latest poll.
At the same time, the continued growth of the German opposition party CDU (CDU) has made it the strongest party, with 23.7% support.
The result is the latest blow to Scholz’s government, which faces a series of crises, from economic woes to budget problems and concerns about the popularity of the far right. Nationally, the AfD ended up ahead of the Social Democrats and in second place overall, according to a leading agency. general election polls.
AfD succeeds despite scandals
The AfD’s success comes despite rising tensions in and around the party in recent weeks and months. Last month it was kicked out of the EU parliament’s right-wing Identity and Democracy (ID) coalition, which includes France’s National Rally.
Previously, Maximilian Krah, the main candidate for the European Parliament of the Alternative for Germany party, said that not all SS members of Germany’s Nazi regime were criminals. Earlier this year, one of Krach’s staff at the European Parliament was charged with Spying on parliament for China.
Petr Bystron, the second-ranking figure in the European Parliament of Germany’s Alternative for Germany party, faces bribery and money laundering charges linked to Russia.
Both Cra and Byström were banned from running in EU elections by their parties.
What’s next for Scholz?
“The result shows the weakness of the governing coalition,” Marcel Fratzscher, president of the German Economic Institute, told CNBC on Monday. “It destabilizes an already very unstable coalition.”
But Scholz seems unlikely to follow in the footsteps of French President Emmanuel Macron and call for Early elections were called due to the success of the far right.
Berenberg chief economist Holger Schmieding said on Sunday night: “None of the three parties in the current coalition will gain anything from early elections. Even if there are possible setbacks in regional elections in September, The alliance is still expected to move forward.
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