German voters punish Merkel's conservatives in regional elections – exit polls

[webfact]

German voters punish Merkel's conservatives in regional elections – exit polls



BERLIN: -- Exit polls in Germany’s regional elections suggest the anti-migrant AfD party has won enough support to enter all three state parliaments.

The Alternative for Germany party is predicted to come second in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt with 23 percent of the vote.

It’s given scores of 11 and 12 percent in the two other states, Rhineland and Baden-Württemberg.

The polls suggest Angela Merkel’s ruling Christian Democrats have lost in both of those two states.

The reported losses represent a worst-case scenario for the German Chancellor – who has stood by her decision last year to open the country’s doors to over a million refugees and migrants.

Even in Saxony where her conservatives remain the largest party, they’ve lost many votes to the AfD which was only formed three years ago.


-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-03-14

[ukrules]

Completely expected. This womans career is over and her policies will destroy her party for decades.

[gaucho]

Completely expected. This womans career is over and her policies will destroy her party for decades.

100% correct ..the parties that follow her will be paying financially ..and socially for decades to come ..woman is a fool

[boomerangutang]

I specifically predicted this would happen, months ago. Merkel is great for swelling numbers of right-wing politicos. I also predict added (and increasingly emotional) open conflicts in Germany and surrounding countries.

[klauskunkel]

Well, she should have given voting privileges to the migrants right away...

[thai3]

Stupid, stupid woman, whatever was she thinking of?

[vogie]

I specifically predicted this would happen, months ago. Merkel is great for swelling numbers of right-wing politicos. I also predict added (and increasingly emotional) open conflicts in Germany and surrounding countries.

Any good at predicting the lottery numbers?

[Ulic]

No surprise. Now we shall see how Merkel spins it and if she has learned anything. I am

sure she will blame the rest of Europe for not taking/welcoming their "share" of migrants

even though the migrants don't want to go anywhere but Germany, Sweden, and the UK.

[joefriday]

Stupid, stupid woman, whatever was she thinking of?

She was getting her news from Thai Visa and reading all the anti Trump wall posts and believed they were written by real people.

[godden]

Completely expected. This womans career is over and her policies will destroy her party for decades.

I most certainly hope and pray so.

[wabothai]

Stupid, stupid woman, whatever was she thinking of?

don't think she is that stupid (chancellor of germany means something) but she bett on the wrong horse and losing it all right now.

[SgtRock]

As others have said, totally predictable.

The 2017 elections in France and Germany will be a game changer.

A huge shock, in more ways than one, is heading for the EU.

[HenryB]

Also it look like same in USA Trump will win big

[smudger1951]

I specifically predicted this would happen, months ago. Merkel is great for swelling numbers of right-wing politicos. I also predict added (and increasingly emotional) open conflicts in Germany and surrounding countries.

Wow ! Its all a complete surprise to the rest of us !

[webfact]

Anti-migrant party makes gains in German state elections



BERLIN: -- Members of the anti-immigration “Alternative for Germany party (AfD) have been celebrating after making unprecedented gains in three German state elections.

Voters appear to have punished Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative, Christian Democrats (CDU) , rejecting her open-door refugee policy. Already represented in five of Germany’s 16 regional assemblies, the AfD succeeded in entering three more.

AfD party leader Frauke Petry was jubilant when addressing her supporters:

“It is the catastrophic policies of Chancellor Merkel which clearly opened people’s eyes. This is the only reason why we succeeded in entering all state parliaments with double -digit percentage figures. In Saxony-Anhalt, we even became instantly the second strongest party.”

The AfD grabbed 24.2 percent of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt but the CDU still managed to remain the largest party there.

The gains by the AfD,although significant still did not mean they won any of the states.

In Baden-Wuerttemberg the Greens for the first time became the strongest party there with around 31 percent of the vote. A former stronghold of the CDU support for the conservatives reached a historic low of 27 percent.

The Social Democrats (SPD) were in fact the biggest losers overall with support falling away across the board although they did hang on to Rhineland-Palatinate with 36 percent.

But with the CDU suffering defeats in two out of three of the states, Sunday’s elections are being seen as a serious rebuke for Merkel and the most pronounced protest vote seen so far.


-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-03-14

[user82374298374]

The elites need to accept that the nationalists have a growing following, and stop trying to disenfranchise them - otherwise, they'll end up with the ultra-nationalists coming out on top, by any means necessary.

[Usernames]

The elites need to accept that the nationalists have a growing following, and stop trying to disenfranchise them - otherwise, they'll end up with the ultra-nationalists coming out on top, by any means necessary.

Yes, we will indeed. With or without the elites' attempts to discredit and invalidate our voices.

[eliotness]

The European elites have opened a Pandora's box. They and all us peasants may regret what follows.

[Grouse]

Actually AfD took votes from all the other parties

No doubt this is a protest vote against uncontrolled immigration

Germans that I have spoken to over the weekend are revelling against these damn people in their ridiculous garb hanging out near the railway stations and generally making the place untidy

However, they ALL said they thought Angela was big hearted and had wanted to pull up these people just as Bonn did with the "Ossis". Obviously that looks foolish now.

I was pleasantly surprised that the Germans continue to show such balance compared to the poison you get here sometimes....

Edited March 14, 2016 by Grouse

[Saradoc1972]

As refreshing as this outcome is, it won't mean AFD will be making politics, at least not directly. The others oh-so-democratic parties are going to ostracize them, but AFD can make their presence felt in opposition. Will be a slow start because nary any of their members have any parliamentary experience, so the old parties and their friends from the media are going to remind everyone of that, claiming AFD hadn't any answers.

For the time being there is hardly any chance of Merkel stepping down, even the Greens and Social-Democrats love her, the latter weren't even sure whether they should elect a candidate of their own to stand for chancellor. But on the horizon... if I look a photos of Merkel and Petry, both Drs. of natural science by the way, there is major potential for things getting much better.

[Grouse]

BTW read this

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_for_Germany

Centre right middle class anti EURO, anti bailouts, pro EU, anti economic migrants

Not exactly Neo Nazis!

Less extreme than Boris Johnson!

What say you Gauleiter?

[RickBradford]

The elites need to accept that the nationalists have a growing following, and stop trying to disenfranchise them - otherwise, they'll end up with the ultra-nationalists coming out on top, by any means necessary.

Yes, we will indeed. With or without the elites' attempts to discredit and invalidate our voices.

Of course the self-appointed elites will attempt to discredit and invalidate opposing opinions. It's what they do. In fact, it's all they do.

Expect to hear repeated ad nauseam the phrases "far-right", "ultra-Conservative" or even "neo-Nazi" used about anyone who would rather not have their countries overrun with Muslim migrants.

The new Polish government recently described its policies as "conservative, patriotic and Christian" and the BBC reporter forced to repeat these words looked on the point of vomiting, her disgust for these notions was so total.

[kingalfred]

Need to smash CDU in federal elections. But I think she be gone before then.

[kingalfred]

The elites need to accept that the nationalists have a growing following, and stop trying to disenfranchise them - otherwise, they'll end up with the ultra-nationalists coming out on top, by any means necessary.

Yes, we will indeed. With or without the elites' attempts to discredit and invalidate our voices.

Of course the self-appointed elites will attempt to discredit and invalidate opposing opinions. It's what they do. In fact, it's all they do.

Expect to hear repeated ad nauseam the phrases "far-right", "ultra-Conservative" or even "neo-Nazi" used about anyone who would rather not have their countries overrun with Muslim migrants.

The new Polish government recently described its policies as "conservative, patriotic and Christian" and the BBC reporter forced to repeat these words looked on the point of vomiting, her disgust for these notions was so total.

The BBC and other tv news on these issues have been completely unbalanced. I've had twitter spats with Al Jazeera reporters who have ways of denigrating those in Europe against mass migration. This from a channel owned by a middle east government who do virtually nothing for those refugees who are the same religion! Edited March 14, 2016 by kingalfred

[Grouse]

Need to smash CDU in federal elections. But I think she be gone before then.

Alf!

Which bit do you want to smash? The Christian bit or the democratic bit (note the small d). You do understand that they are the "Conservative" party?

How are the cakes doing?

[Saradoc1972]

Need to smash CDU in federal elections. But I think she be gone before then.

Which bit do you want to smash? The Christian bit or the democratic bit (note the small d). You do understand that they are the "Conservative" party?

I think you got it. The CDU are not inherently evil, they are just too depended on Merkel who suddenly began acting out of character. They are actually the most sensible of all parties in German parliament right now in that half of their members and the majority of the electorate have spoken out against Merkel's policies, first of all their CSU sister party from Bavaria. Just nobody wants this Seehofer fellow for chancellor. The rest of the German parties *love* her, to the point they'd be keeping her in office in case there should be a vote of no confidence. Which tells us that something frighteningly strange must be going on.

So it's rather the rest of German parties in need of being smashed, SPD, Greens, and Lefts. FDP liberal democrats have taken a firm stand against Merkel, but they still have to find their way back into parliament. A case of you only miss them once they're gone.

The easiest and most speedy remedy for this mess would be getting Merkel on the right medication.

[nontabury]

Need to smash CDU in federal elections. But I think she be gone before then.

Alf!

Which bit do you want to smash? The Christian bit or the democratic bit (note the small d). You do understand that they are the "Conservative" party?

How are the cakes doing?

Yes, they are the Conservative party of Germany, and likewise encourage immigration in order to take advantage of cheap Labour. No thought for their own people or country.

[arend]

German guilt over the Holocaust and Nazism still runs deep in Germany but not having a viable plan for the immigrants was a recipe for disaster....

[Steely Dan]

Can the Woman be surprised? She who in 2010 stated that multiculturalism had been an utter failure, yet in 2015 allows a million migrants into Germany.