Germany's Political Landscape Shifts: CDU-CSU Wins EU Elections, AfD Surges, SPD Suffers Historic Loss

Berlin, Germany Germany
Chancellor Olaf Scholz's SPD suffers historic loss, receiving only 13.9% of the votes.
Far-right AfD party makes notable gains, finishing second with 16% of the votes.
FDP is projected to drop below the threshold for re-entering parliamentary elections next year with only 5% of the votes.
Germany's conservative alliance CDU-CSU wins EU elections with 30.2% of the votes.
New populist party BSW arrives on political landscape with a projected result of 6.1%.
The Greens see an 8.6 percentage point drop in support compared to the 2019 European elections, receiving only 11.9% of the votes.
Germany's Political Landscape Shifts: CDU-CSU Wins EU Elections, AfD Surges, SPD Suffers Historic Loss

In the European Parliament elections held on June 9, 2024, Germany saw a significant shift in political power. The conservative alliance of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) emerged as the clear winners with 30.2% of the votes.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party made notable gains, finishing second with 16% of the votes. This result marks a significant increase from their previous EU election performance in 2019, where they received only 11%. The AfD's success comes despite numerous scandals involving suspected espionage and potential Russian influence.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) suffered a historic rout, receiving only 13.9% of the votes. This is their worst result in a national election since the party was founded over a century ago.

The Greens, who are part of the ruling coalition with the SPD and Free Democrats (FDP), saw an 8.6 percentage point drop in support compared to the 2019 European elections, receiving only 11.9% of the votes.

The FDP, another coalition partner, was projected to drop below the threshold for re-entering parliamentary elections next year with only 5% of the votes.

A new populist party called Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) arrived on the political landscape with a projected result of 6.1%. The party was founded by Sahra Wagenknecht, a longtime face of The Left party, which had its worst result in the election with only 2.7%.

The poor results for parties that make up Germany's coalition government are likely to inject further conflict into the already-fractious coalition and renew doubts over its stability.

These projections provide an early glimpse of results from Europe's most populous country. For updates throughout the night, follow POLITICO's rolling coverage.


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Confidence

90%

Doubts
  • It is unclear if the Russian influence allegations against AfD are true.
  • The final results may vary slightly from these projections.

Sources

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

German conservatives first, far-right AfD second in EU election

POLITICO Europe Nette Nöstlinger Sunday, 09 June 2024 16:27
  • Unique Points
    • German conservatives finished first in the European election with 30.2% of the votes.
    • The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party finished second with a gain of 5 percentage points compared to the previous EU election, having received 16% of the votes.
    • Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party had their worst result in a national election in the party’s history, receiving 13.9% of the votes.
    • The Free Democrats were projected to drop below the threshold for re-entering parliamentary elections next year, receiving only 5% of the votes.
    • Germany's new populist party, Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht, arrived on the political landscape with a projected result of 6.1%.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

94%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

EU vote humiliates Scholz’s German coalition

POLITICO Europe Matthew Karnitschnig, Sunday, 09 June 2024 23:40
  • Unique Points
    • In the European Parliament election, Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats recorded their worst result in a national vote in over a century.
    • The real question is whether Scholz’s government will survive after its significant loss in voters’ estimation.
  • Accuracy
    • The Social Democrats garnered less than 14% in the election.
    • Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats had their worst post-World War II result in a nationwide vote with around 14% of the votes.
    • Germany’s governing parties, Social Democrats and Free Democrats, had feeble results in the European Parliament election.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (85%)
    The article contains several instances of inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to authority. It uses sensationalist language such as 'crushing blow', 'humiliates', and 'particular humiliation' to describe the election results. The article also quotes the extreme-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's gains without providing counter-argument or context, which could lead to a false impression of the political climate. Additionally, it references Chancellor Olaf Scholz's dismal approval ratings and highlights his insistence on being the face of the campaign despite its poor performance. These elements contribute to a negative portrayal of the German coalition government.
    • The left-leaning coalition’s steep losses — support for the Greens fell by nearly half — will likely renew questions over the government’s stability.
    • The real question is whether Scholz’s government will survive.
    • Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats recorded their worst result in a national vote in more than a century.
  • Bias (95%)
    The article does not make any clear assertions or use language that depicts one side as extreme or unreasonable. However, it does describe the results of the European Parliament election as a 'crushing blow' for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition and notes that the 'extreme-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)' had a 'strong showing'. While these statements are factual, they could be perceived as having a negative connotation towards the AfD. Additionally, the article mentions that the party has capitalized on growing concerns in the country over a huge influx of asylum seekers in the past decade. This statement implies that there is an issue with asylum seekers and could be perceived as having a negative bias towards them.
    • The extreme-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) also put in a strong showing, finishing second with 16 percent, a gain of 5 percentage points compared to the 2019 EU election.
      • The party has capitalized on growing concerns in the country over a huge influx of asylum seekers in the past decade.
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication

      96%

      The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
      (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

      A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

      European Elections 2024: Scholz’s Socialists Suffer Historic Rout in Germany

      Bloomberg News Now Michael Nienaber, Monday, 10 June 2024 00:25
      • Unique Points
        • German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats suffered their worst-ever result in European Parliament elections.
        • The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party finished second with 16.2% of the votes.
      • Accuracy
        • The Social Democrats fell to third place behind the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
        • Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats had their worst post-World War II result in a nationwide vote with around 14% of the votes.
      • Deception (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Fallacies (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Bias (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication

      95%

      The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
      (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

      A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

      German far right gains as governing parties decline, but conservatives lead in European election

      The Associated Press News Sunday, 09 June 2024 16:08
      • Unique Points
        • Germany's governing parties, Social Democrats and Free Democrats, had feeble results in the European Parliament election.
        • The far-right Alternative for Germany made gains with around 16% of the votes.
        • New BSW party took about 6% of the votes with a combination of left-wing economic policy, restrictive approach to migration, and opposition to weapons supplies to Ukraine.
      • Accuracy
        • Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats had their worst post-World War II result in a nationwide vote with around 14% of the votes.
      • Deception (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Fallacies (85%)
        The article contains several instances of inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to authority. The author uses phrases like 'feebler results', 'sank to', 'gains in Sunday's vote for the European Parliament', and 'hard defeat' which are emotionally charged and intended to elicit a strong reaction from the reader. Additionally, there are several instances of appeals to authority, such as when European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is quoted as being impressed by the Union's showing. However, no formal or informal fallacies were identified in this article.
        • ]The far-right Alternative for Germany made gains[
        • European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is impressed by the Union's showing.
      • Bias (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication

      94%

      The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
      (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

      A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

      EU elections: German conservatives lead as support for Scholz slumps

      Euronews Sunday, 09 June 2024 00:00
      • Unique Points
        • German conservatives finished first in the European election with 30.2% of the votes.
        • The largest member state in Europe's European Parliament, Germany.
      • Accuracy
        • Germany's conservative main opposition, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU), are predicted to finish in first place with 29.5% of the votes.
        • The largest member state in Europe's European Parliament, Germany
        • German newcomer the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) will take 6% of the votes.
      • Deception (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Fallacies (90%)
        The article contains some instances of appeals to authority and inflammatory rhetoric, but no formal logical fallacies were identified. The author cites exit polls and estimates from ARD and ZDF as evidence for the poor performance of the German coalition and the rise in support for opposition parties. This is a valid use of authority as it is a reputable source providing data on election results. However, there are instances where the author uses inflammatory language to describe AfD's scandals and their impact on voters, such as
        • ], despite facing numerous scandals in the run-up to the elections.
        • Voters remain apparently undeterred from voting for the far-right party, which has been accused in major scandals throughout the year.
      • Bias (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication
      • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
        None Found At Time Of Publication