German regional elections: traffic light coalition’s FDP to become ‘more demanding’

Germany’s liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) has vowed to become a more vocal — and demanding — political ally in Berlin after a weekend regional election disaster.

The FDP, one of three parties in Berlin’s “traffic light” coalition, failed to return to the state parliament in Lower Saxony. A triumph for the ruling centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) sees it returning for a third term with 34 per cent, most likely with a resurgent Green Party on 14 per cent. But the FDP crashed out on 4.7 per cent, sending alarm signals to party leaders in Berlin — and their coalition partners.

“The result cannot distract from one important thing: the [Berlin] traffic light coalition has lost legitimacy,” said Christian Lindner, FDP leader and federal finance minister. “We need to face challenges we have identified and work to boost our profile.”

Since taking office a series of crises — and multi-billion state interventions — have all taken Mr Lindner and his ostensibly liberal party far beyond its natural political comfort zone.

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The FDP general secretary was more blunt than his leader, saying their party has “big problems with this coalition”. The year-old alliance in Berlin cannot continue to work, said Djir-Sarai, “if two partners keep coming up with ideas about how to spend more and more money and the third has to figure out how to ... finance it all”.

On Monday morning, senior coalition allies discussed what lesson to draw from a poll dominated by fears over energy prices.

FDP officials have already promised to increase pressure on Chancellor Scholz, in particular to take a more robust stance against Russia — and to step up heavy arms deliveries to Ukraine. They are also likely to block efforts to liberalise the refuge regime, as demanded by its coalition partners, to cope with a growing rise of new arrivals — from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Senior SPD officials, sensing danger, warned their FDP allies on Monday “not to take it out on their partners but to keep checking if the answers the party is giving the correct ones”.

“I understand the concerns and suffering of the FDP after yesterday’s election result,” said Saskia Esken, SPD co-leader. “But so far we’ve had the opportunity to present our work as joint successes. I’m confident that we can continue to work like this.”

The Left Party also failed to return to parliament, continuing its long decline. The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) enjoyed a revival after a campaign focused on runaway energy costs.

“We are stranding on the threshold of a third world war,” said Tino Chruppala, AfD leader, “but no other party wants to acknowledge this problem.”

After a closely-watched poll, the ruling centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) appears to be heading back to the opposition benches in Lower Saxony on 28 per cent, its worst result for decades in a traditional political heartland.

A year after the departure of CDU Chancellor Angela Merkel, her centre-right grouping is still struggling to re-establish itself as a political force in opposition, with a new leader.