A highly anticipated regional election was held on Sunday May 15, 2022 in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. This election in the largest Land of the country shakes the tripartite coalition in power in Berlin, even if the Greens are the big winners of these elections.
With our correspondent in Berlin, Pascal Thibault
The social-democratic decade that some spoke of last fall, with the success of the SPD in the general elections, will have to wait. The party records its worst score since the war.
For Olaf Scholz, who had invested in the campaign, it is a blow. The Chancellor’s decline in popularity was certainly not a plus.
Within the ruling coalition in Berlin, the failure is even more severe for the Liberals of Finance Minister Christian Lindner. In the fall, they were seen as the winners of the coalition agreement. This new severe defeat is a blow.
regional elections in North Rhine-Westphalia: the big winners are the Greens who multiply their score by three and without whom no regional government will be able to see the light of day. The CDU improves its score (+2.8); the SPD suffers a historic defeat (-4.5) pic.twitter.com/Izh0BEvqU0
—Pascal Thibaut (@pthibaut) May 15, 2022
The Greens are the superstars of this regional. They almost triple their score. In the country, they have the wind in their sails, driven by the popularity of their ministers.
The government hitch in Berlin may come under more strain in the future. The Christian Democrats improve their score. If they retain power in North Rhine-Westphalia by allying themselves this time with environmentalists, this would somewhat underline the role of the latter as essential kingmakers.
►Read again: In Germany, national issue for the regional election in North Rhine-Westphalia