The right-wing conservative parties Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) in Germany, currently in opposition, are leading the polls in the European elections with 30%, overtaking the political forces that make up the government.
While the parties that form the traffic light coalition, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens and the FDP liberals, continue to lose votes, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) is fighting to maintain second place despite a slight drop.
With just over a month until Germany’s European elections on June 9, the streets of Berlin are filled with party posters, most containing written messages and others featuring party figures.
The SPD, which has an average of 15.5% in the latest published polls and gives it third place, is banking on the image of list leader Katharina Barley with different party personalities. He even appeared alongside Chancellor Olaf Scholz, demanding the “strongest” vote for Europe.
“Traditional” parties have never been able to mobilize the electorate brilliantly, they try to be close to their national parties, to well-known figures of their parties, often failing to explain the transnational aspect of these elections,” says researcher Sofia Russak from the European think tank CEPS (Centre European Policy Research).
“The far right does not want increased participation in European elections, but at the same time they want to guarantee seats in the European Parliament and improve their results. What they are doing with obvious success is a social media campaign, mainly through TikTok. “, – noted in a statement to the Lusa agency.
The AfD, shrouded in scandals, most recently involving the head of the European list, Maximilian Krach, accused of accepting bribes from Russia, has 15.9% and appears to unite the preferences of the younger electorate. This year, for the first time in Germany, people aged 16 will be able to vote.
“The generations that are most likely to go to the polls are the older generations, the younger ones will go less. But this does not mean that they are more disconnected from politics, they are also the ones who protest the most in the streets, it means that their path is different from participating in politics. But the parties don’t seem to have a strategy or special message for young voters,” says Endre Borbat of the university’s Institute of Political Science. Heidelberg.
“We see that the two parties that the younger generation perceives as being renewed are the Greens and the AfD, and therefore this part of the electorate is not expected to vote en masse, and if they do vote, it will be mainly for these two parties. parties,” explains Luse, a professor and specialist in participation analysis, in a statement.
A total of approximately 373 million European Union (EU) citizens have the right to vote, of whom 64.9 million live in Germany. The Federal Election Commission has approved the participation of 35 political parties and associations in the European elections.
Two researchers interviewed by Lusa believe that the fact that European elections are seen as a minor issue is gradually changing as participation increases.
“This growth is closely related to the crises that we are currently experiencing, people are afraid, so to speak, of being abandoned in a global context. Great importance is attached to the importance of the European Union. Another reason that could justify the increase was Brexit, which was not perceived as a successful project,” explains Sofia Russak from CEPS.
“European elections are becoming transnational elections in terms of the issues and issues they represent, and the campaigns on those same issues that the parties represent. I believe they are no exception, with topics such as European integration, support for farmers, national security, the wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip all on the radar of parties and voters,” notes Endre Borbat.
In the 2019 European elections, the CDU, the party of former Chancellor Angela Merkel, received 28.9% of the votes along with the CSU, the Greens – 20.5%, the SPD – 15.8% and the AfD – 11%, the Left (Die Linke) – 5, 5%. and FDP 5.4%.
On average in European polls for 2024, the Greens receive 14.6%, the FDP 3.6% and Sarah Wagenknecht’s new party (BSW) 5.9%.
Germany elects 96 deputies – the largest number of representatives.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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