[Berlin 1st Reuters]-The congressional Christian democracy led by Prime Minister Merkel in the state parliamentary elections in Saxony and Brandenburg in the eastern part of Germany, despite the dramatic advancement of “Option for Germany (AfD)” The alliance (CDU) and the left-wing Social Democratic Party (SPD) defended the status of the first party in each state and avoided the crisis of coalition in national affairs.
According to the results of the provisional vote, CDU remained in the first party in Saxony, but the voting rate was 32%, down 7.4 points from the previous 2014 election. AfD, which took criticism of the refugee policy and the Eastern Province coal mine closure program, made a leap forward to the Second Party.
In Brandenburg, SPD, which maintained the ruling party in the state since the unification of East and West Germany in 1990, had a votership rate of 27.2%, surpassing 22.8% of AfD.
CDU and SPD's backlash was less than expected and concerns over the coalition government led by Prime Minister Merkel were slightly eased.
Carsten Nickel, managing director of the consulting company Teneo, said the results of the state election were: “This is a renewal of the fact that it is unlikely that it will be beneficial to CDUs and SPDs even if the current election is held. At least for the time being, Merkel. It may lead to the support and stability of the prime minister. "
The stability of the coalition government depends greatly on the movement of the SPD. SPD was defeated in the European Parliament elections in May, and the public opinion poll has remained at a record low, and the party leader has not been determined. Many members of the general party are seeking to break coalition with Merkel's conservative camp.
Torsten Schaefergünbel, one of SPD's interim leaders, stressed on ZDF TV that the coalition government is working constructively, “There is a substantial difference (with the conservative camp). No doubt, it is clear that the coalition will continue. "
In October, ahead of the election of the Eastern Thuringia Legislature, the next few months will be important for the coalition to continue until the next general election scheduled for 2021.
While the risk of the German economy falling into recession is increasing, there is a gap between CDU and SPD in the direction of fiscal policy. While SPD claims to increase spending, Mr. Merkel's conservative camp has not broken its stance of adhering to the principle of fiscal balance.
