Voters are turning away en masse from CDU/CSU, and the SPD appears to be winning the election

It is still not clear which party will become the largest in Germany: the SPD is ahead, but the difference with CDU/CSU is too small to really declare a winner. It is already clear that the Christian Democrats have suffered a major defeat: they are heading for their worst result ever. More than two million voters have turned their backs on the party after the departure of Angela Merkel, this time putting their cross on the Social Democrats and the Greens.

How can this huge loss be explained? The party would also undoubtedly be looking for the same reasons, but one of the reasons everyone saw came from miles away. Party leader Armin Laschet now made huge mistakes, but it was clear much earlier: he simply did not attract enough people. Even within the CDU/CSU few people were convinced of it.

The campaign has also been heavily criticized. At first, it was pointless and relied too much on the assumption that Merkel voters would stay with the CDU/CSU anyway. The moment it became clear that the party would not live in this position, the Christian Democrats came up with plans and themes, but they did not convince enough people. The myriad warnings about “red danger” that threatened if Schulze’s SPD became the biggest didn’t help either.

Elector Schultz

More than 1.3 million CDU/CSU voters defected to the SPD, which had a voter in the lower house with their candidate, Chancellor Olaf Schulz. According to an ARD survey, most of them were people over the age of 60. Schultz apparently succeeded in presenting himself as the candidate who represented continuity and stability.

This appeals to people from different political backgrounds. Nearly half of SPD voters indicate that they would have voted for another party without Schulz.

As long as who gets the most votes is not officially decided, it is also unclear who can take the lead in formation. According to Schulze, this task falls on the shoulders of the SPD anyway, because his party has won compared to four years ago, and the CDU/CSU Laschet has lost a lot.

“The country should be able to recognize itself in the outcome,” he said tonight. “The voters want me to be a chancellor.” If the SPD remains in the lead, Schultz will be the first to investigate the so-called Traffic Light Alliance, made up of SPD (red), FDP (yellow) and greens.

Lachet wants Jamaica.

The lashes are not easily pushed aside. According to him, the voters said they did not want a left-wing government, but a government of the center. He sees a role for himself in this. “The electors have instructed us to find as many similarities as possible. Anyone who becomes an advisor must bring different groups together and I am prepared to do so.”

If Laschet becomes the eldest, it is no secret that he favors the “Jamaica” coalition of CDU/CSU, the Greens and the FDP, which together make up the colors of the Jamaican flag.

Write the numbers three and four in front of you

In fact, the two potential coalition partners now have the most power: the Green Party and the liberal Free Democratic Party. They are loved by both Scholz and Laschet. If they come to an agreement, which will be very difficult due to the differences between the parties, they can, as it were, “choose” an advisor.

They will demand a great deal of influence, for example through the position of Minister of Finance. Party leader Christian Lindner of the FDP has already indicated that he is very interested in this. Annalina Barbuk of the Greens prefers an alliance with the SPD, but the party does not want to commit to that.

On “The Elephant Tour” on ARD, the talk show where all party leaders discuss results on election nights, she said everyone who wants to make the most climate commitments has their interest in it: “The most important thing for us is that Germany must be climate neutral in The next two decades. We have been chosen by many young people. It is not only about climate measures, but also about protecting an entire generation.”

They promise to be tough negotiations. In the meantime, Angela Merkel will remain the outgoing chancellor. If she stays that way until December 17 this year, she will officially be the longest-serving German government leader ever. The record holder remains one of her predecessors, Helmut Kohl, who held the position between 1982 and 1998.