Initial official projections in Germany show that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party the CSU have come out ahead with 27.9% , but suffered a dip in support of 7.5 points. The losses were even heavier for the CDU’s coalition partner the Social Democrats (SPD), who came in third with 15.6% support, down 11.7% from the last EU elections in 2014.
The Green party continued to reap the rewards of the coalition shedding votes and increasing concern about climate change. It came in second in Germany with 21.8%, an increase of 11.1%. The far-right AfD came in fourth with 10.5%, and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) and the Left party each got 5.5% of the vote. Other smaller parties accounted for the remaining 13%. – DW
CDU/CSU 27,5%,
SPD 15,5%,
Bündnis 90/ Die Grünen 20,5%,
Die Linke 5,5%,
AfD 10,5%,
FDP 5,5%,
Freie Wähler 2,0%,
Die Partei 2,5%
This is a summary of Politico’s and FT projections of the voting today in Germany:
Germany – the projections
If turnout of 48.14% is maintained in this vote, Politico predicts the CDU/CSU will beat second placed Grune by 3,102,912 votes. That is just 9.51 % of the 32,643,732 expected non-voters.
Germany – The Issues
The campaign in Germany has been dominated by concerns about climate change, immigration and the need for a stronger Europe that is better able to project its power and influence on the international stage.
In surveys, German voters also say they want to see closer cooperation between EU member states on migration policy and the protection of the bloc’s external borders. (FT)
