Black and red in Hesse: a new beginning or business as usual?

After ten years of black-green politics, the CDU in Hesse is daring to switch to an alliance with the Social Democrats. Prime Minister Boris Rhein hopes that this will make governing easier. If he isn't mistaken.

Dhe electorate in Germany is gripped by a collective mood for change. Large parts of the population want a new beginning – at the federal and state levels. According to all surveys, the traffic light in Berlin only has a clear minority of citizens behind it, the majority are in favor of early federal elections. The farmers' protests are just an outgrowth of this rampant anger at “the” politicians “up there” who, in the opinion of many, have lost contact with the grassroots and apparently no longer seek it.

On the Sunday question, the CDU/CSU achieved as many percentage points as the SPD, Greens and FDP combined. According to surveys, the AfD, which is monitored by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, would be the strongest party in some federal states if elected there now. Dissatisfaction with the established – i.e. the governing – parties is increasing. According to a current survey commissioned by the “Bild” newspaper, almost half of Germans are prepared to take their dissatisfaction with the federal traffic light coalition to the streets in the form of protests. According to another survey, two thirds of the population support the concerns of the protesting farmers.