Elections in Germany are different

#311

My Dear Friend of Democracy,

Germany is a fairly diverse country. At least when it comes to elections.

In last week's federal election, the social democratic SPD of Chancellor Olaf Scholz achieved the worst election result in the party's history (see chart above). And the right-wing extremist AfD party became the second strongest part.

Yesterday, a different picture.

In state elections in Hamburg, the AfD was far behind, with just under 8 per cent, and the SPD will continue to lead a coalition government with the Greens.

So, voting behaviour varies across Germany.

However, a pattern can be seen: There are significant differences between the east of the country (former East Germany) and the west (former West Germany), as well as between urban and rural areas. Right-wing politics have a harder time in the west of the country and in urban environments.

✊ Even though Hamburg is only a small part of Germany, the election result there can give us some hope. There is no unlimited boom for right-wing extremist politics.

See you in Germany,

Johannes Eber