German Chancellor Olaf Scholz' administration is facing mounting pressure as the country's far-right is making unprecedented gains in state elections.
Elections in two states are seen as a bellwether of the national mood as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged as three parties that make up the nation's federal coalition government suffered significant losses.
Germany Experiencing a Far-Right Surge
In both the states of Bavaria and Hesse, conservative forces won clear victories against their rivals. In the former, the Christian Social Union (CSU), which is a sister party to the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), is projected to win 36.6% of the vote. This is slightly lower than the party's result in the last state election that was held in 2018.
However, the biggest winner of the elections was arguably the AfD, which is a party that has become increasingly extreme since it was founded in 2013. The party is projected to come in second place in both Bavaria and Hesse, which would mark a historic win for it, as per Politico.
The strong performance of the far-right party outside of its traditional bastion in the states of the former East Germany suggests that it has successfully expanded its base of support. The latest development has already prompted a renewed flurry of soul-searching among German leaders of mainstream parties.
In a statement on public television, a co-leader of the Greens, Ricarda Lang, said that the increased performance of the AfD will only lead to worry for every Democrat in the country. She said that she is hopeful that they can move away from finger-pointing and have every Democratic party consider what they can now do to make the election results look different in the future.
The three parties that make up Scholz' ruling coalition in both Bavaria and Hesse, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens, and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP), all experienced a drop in support.
Olaf Scholz' Administration
The recent elections followed a campaign marked by discontent with persistent squabbling in the national government as well as pressure to reduce the number of migrants arriving in the country. The national interior minister, Nancy Faeser, suffered a heavy defeat in a difficult bid to become governor of her home state, according to the Associated Press.
There are roughly 9.4 million people who were eligible to vote for the new state legislature in Bavaria and less than half of that, 4.3 million, in neighboring Hesse. The latter is a region that includes Germany's financial capital, Frankfurt.
Boris Rhein, Hesser's conservative governor, was challenged by both his current Green deputy and by the Social Democrats' candidate, Faeser. However, neither of the two came anywhere near loosening the CDU's 24-year-old hold on the position.
Analysts argued that the situation would further stoke tensions in a coalition that has already struggled to find common ground. Scholz has previously faced accusations of failing to show the leadership that is needed in the country to impose order and tackle crises, including the war in Ukraine to the green transition, said Reuters.
