Merkel's CDU also suffered a heavy defeat in Hessen

Christian Democrats once again suffered a heavy defeat on Sunday. In the federal elections in Hesse, Chancellor Merkel's CDU won 28% of the vote, 10 points lower than five years ago, according to preliminary forecasts. , against 30.7% in 2013. The winners were the Greens (19.5%) and the AfD (12%). More accurate numbers are known later in the evening.

Over the past five years, the CDU and the Greens have jointly governed in Hessen without much difficulty, under the leadership of Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU). The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Traffic and Energy, Tarek Al-Wazir, is the foreman of the Greens. Sunday at the beginning of the evening, we do not know which coalition will now be formed to govern in Hessen and whether Bouffier can remain Prime Minister.

In Berlin, politics was very nervous and was waiting for the elections in Hesse, as the result could undermine Chancellor Merkel's already faltering coalition (CDU, CSU, SPD). And that could mark the end of Merkel's career itself.

Leaving the coalition

Within the SPD, an increasingly urgent call is being made to withdraw from the coalition, hoping for the continued decline of the party. stop. But this would likely lead to new elections, during which the Social Democrats could lose even more of their already reduced clientele.

Merkel always said that the elections in Hessen were about the future of this federal state and not about national politics. However, she campaigned no less than four times in Hessen last week, hoping to still avoid a heavy defeat threatened her party. If people are unhappy with the national government, she said, they should not punish the CDU in Hessen for that, "so they should write me a letter."

The pressure exerted on Merkel for her to assume responsibility for the unease of Christian Democrats has increased rapidly in recent months. According to polls, the CDU in the whole country has only 24 to 26% of the vote, while last year, it reached 32.7% in the federal elections. Two weeks ago, the brother party CSU lost its absolute majority in the Bavarian Parliament, a bitter setback.

See also: Merkel and the SPD fear a new blow in elections in Hesse

Within and outside the CDU, months have been speculated on the length of time Merkel, who has ruled for thirteen years, will remain in office. At a party conference in early December, members can again choose the party presidency. If they do not do it and they choose someone else, their position becomes very difficult.

Failures

Merkel has always said that the presidency of the party and the chancellor must be united in one person in order to govern effectively. Although she almost never deals with matters concerning her succession, she said last week that all attempts by pastors to appoint a successor had failed. "And that's good," she added. There is no succession in German democracy.

Economically, Hessen is doing well and the unemployment rate does not exceed about four percent. However, the lack of affordable housing and driving bans for diesel cars, which should be introduced in parts of Frankfurt, is causing discontent. The quarrels within the Merkel government, which led to a crisis twice in the last six months, have also upset many voters.