A boost for Germany’s right
Bavaria and Hesse re-elect Christian democrats and rebuke the country’s ruling coalition
GERMANS MAY be renowned for obeying rules, but they seem to be resisting the Ampel, or traffic light. This cheery nickname for the left-of-centre coalition elected to run the central government two years ago refers to the colours of its three component parties: red for the Social Democrats (SPD), yellow for the Free Democrats (FDP) and, unsurprisingly, green for the Greens. But judging by the elections held in two important states on October 8th, the German public seems less interested in the Ampel’s stop-and-go signals than in turning sharply to the right.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “A fillip for the right”
From the October 14th 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Europe
Germans are growing cold on the debt brake
Expect changes after the election
The Pope and Italy’s prime minister tussle over Donald Trump
Giorgia Meloni was the only European leader at the inauguration
Europe faces a new age of gunboat digital diplomacy
Can the EU regulate Donald Trump’s big tech bros?
Ukrainian scientists are studying downed Russian missiles
And learning a lot about sanctions-busting
How Poland emerged as a leading defence power
Will others follow?
Russian pilots appear to be hunting Ukrainian civilians
Residents of Kherson are dodging murderous drones