Sunday’s regional elections are a rebuke to Berlin’s disastrous policies, Vyacheslav Volodin has said
Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s State Duma, has stated that the elections in the German states of Saxony and Thuringia clearly demonstrate voters’ rejection of the ruinous policies promoted by Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) secured fourth place in Saxony and fifth in Thuringia, losing ground in both regions to the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), and the newly formed left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW).
“The Germans have told Scholz: ‘You should leave,’” Volodin wrote on Telegram on Monday. He further argued that the election results reflect the “unpopularity” of the current government in Berlin.
“Judging by the results of the elections in Saxony and Thuringia, it is hard to imagine how [Scholz] and his government will manage to govern Germany for one more year,” the politician wrote. “The elections have shown that the citizens of Germany do not want to lose their own country.”
Volodin accused Scholz of harming the German economy by imposing sanctions on Russian energy exports and of “dragging his country into the war in Ukraine” by providing military and financial support to Kyiv. “All of this is occurring amidst economic stagnation and ineffective migration policies,” Volodin wrote.
Addressing reporters on Monday, the chancellor admitted that the election outcome was disappointing for his party. “The election results of Sunday are bitter,” Scholz said, as quoted by Deutsche Welle. “And yet, the SPD stuck together.”
He urged “all democratic parties” to form coalition governments “without right-wing extremists” from AfD. This would be particularly challenging in Thuringia, where AfD emerged victorious with 32.8% of the votes, marking their first triumph in a state election. According to the broadcaster ZDF, even if CDU, SPD and BSW join forces, they will still be one seat short of obtaining a majority in the state parliament. Another possibility would be for CDU to collaborate with BSW and the Left party (Die Linke). However, the Christian Democrats have long adhered to a policy of excluding partnership with the Left.
The BSW came in third in Saxony (11.8%) and Thuringia (15.8%). The party was founded by veteran politician Sahra Wagenknecht, who severed ties with the Left last year. Similar to the AfD, Wagenknecht has advocated for “an end to uncontrolled migration,” and has spoken out against the delivery of weapons to Ukraine.