The FDP also has to tremble in the Lower Saxony elections. The top candidate is defiant, the AfD smirks, the ARD scoffs – and Kubicki takes the traffic light in his sights.
Hanover/Munich – In the Berlin traffic light coalition, the FDP seems to be more decisive than its role as the smallest alliance partner would suggest. But even the insistence on the debt brake and nuclear power plant lifetime extension did not help the liberals in the Lower Saxony election: the first forecasts and projections saw the FDP at exactly 5 percent. In the further course, the liberals even slipped below the magic mark.
A nail-biter in Hanover was looming early on. Even if top candidate Stefan Birkner defiantly announced shortly after 6:30 p.m.: “Of course we are confident and firmly assume that we will belong to the Lower Saxony state parliament.” Meanwhile, the first federal politicians are already working on a review of the situation in Berlin. The traffic light could threaten a new dispute due to the ailing FDP.
FDP in trouble in the Lower Saxony elections: the party has to worry about jumping over the 5 percent hurdle
After the elections in Saarland, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein, this is the fourth state election in 2022 in which the FDP is poised close to the abyss of the five percent hurdle. In NRW (5.9 percent) and Schleswig-Holstein (6.4 percent) hope and fear ended positively from the perspective of the liberals. In Saarland it went wrong with 4.8 percent. There is now a three-party parliament there.
In Hanover, the outcome was initially completely open. However, at least one competitor hoped early on that the Liberals would be eliminated from the state parliament. Also for coalition formation in Lower Saxony the fate of the FDP could be decisive.
FDP threatens state parliament in Lower Saxony: AfD is happy – consequences for coalition building possible
The AfD was demonstratively pleased with the result of the Liberals. As a former middle-class party, the FDP adopted government criticism in the Ukraine war. “I hope that the FDP will be kicked out of the state parliament today,” said AfD federal spokesman Tino Chrupalla on ARD.
The outcome could, at least theoretically, still play a role in the formation of a coalition. According to the first projections, the red-green alliance sought by the SPD’s top candidate, Stephan Weil, had a majority – but with 69 mandates for the two parties, it was narrow. As things stood, 68 seats were needed for an absolute majority. If the FDP left the state parliament, the situation for the SPD and the Greens could become much more comfortable.
FDP flop in Lower Saxony: Kubicki sees traffic lights in “heavy waters” – ARD moderator scoffs
FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki justified the poor FDP performance in Lower Saxony in a first reaction with the policy of the traffic light coalition. A significant proportion of FDP voters in Lower Saxony are still alienated by the traffic lights in Berlin and the role of the FDP, said Kubicki. You got off to a good start at the traffic lights, then Russia’s attack on Ukraine happened. He mentioned energy supplies, inflation and concerns about whether the peace could be maintained.
“At any rate, there have been no reasonable answers to this so far. We’ll have to work on that, or this traffic light will get into trouble.” Personnel issues didn’t play a role after this election, but Kubicki emphasized. His party leader Christian Lindner admitted a failure. “Lower Saxony will go to the left” is what we wanted to prevent. SPD leader Lars Klingbeil kept his fingers crossed for the FDP: “That would be good for the traffic lights in Berlin,” he predicted with a view to the possible leap into the state parliament.
From the moderator of the ARD program “Wahl 2022”, Andreas Cichowicz, the FDP’s top candidate Birkner received slight mockery in view of the purposeful optimism. “What does that mean,” said Cichowicz, looking at the statements. Before the election day, he had a longer conversation with the Liberal. “He was also sure that the FDP would get six to seven percent.” Birkner was apparently not unsettled. On the Phoenix transmitter’s microphone, he emphasized once again that he “firmly” believed in the entry into the state parliament. (fn with material from dpa)
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