German Chancellor Urges Formation of Governments Without Far-Right Extremists Following Historic Election Win since World War II
Following state elections in which Germany's far-right seemingly achieved its greatest success since World War II, winning in regional elections in the east of the country on Sunday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for the formation of "stable governments without right-wing extremists," reports Tagesschau and Politico.
In his first statement after the elections, Olaf Scholz described the state election results as "bitter" and urged parties in Saxony and Thuringia to form alliances excluding the Alternative for Germany (AfD).
“All democratic parties are now called upon to form stable governments without right-wing extremists,” Scholz stated.
He expressed concern over the AfD’s election results in Saxony and Thuringia.
“Our country cannot and should not get used to this. The AfD is damaging Germany. It weakens the economy, divides society, and tarnishes our nation’s reputation,” Scholz emphasised.
At the same time, he praised the unity within his own party, the SPD.
“The results of Sunday’s elections are bitter – for us as well. Nevertheless, the SPD stands united,” he stressed. They conducted a strong and clear campaign together. “It was worth it because the gloomy predictions for the SPD did not come true,” he said. This shows that the fight is worthwhile, Scholz underlined.
“Now it’s about continuing the fight for more and more approval,” he added. Scholz thanked the SPD campaigners and the leading candidates, Petra Köpping (Saxony) and Georg Maier (Thuringia).
According to the election results in Saxony and Thuringia, Scholz’s party received 7% and 6%, respectively.
According to preliminary data from the electoral commission, the AfD – Alternative for Germany – secured 32.8% of the vote and, for the first time in history, won a state election. Its closest rival, the CDU, garnered only 23.6%.
In Saxony, the CDU held a slight lead with 31.9%, while the AfD followed closely with 30.6%.