October 27, 2019
The east German state of Thuringia found itself facing a political stalemate on Sunday after elections failed to produce a majority for any discernible governing coalition, in a result that highlights how fragmented Germany’s political landscape has become.
According to projections by Germany’s MDR news channel, the elections were won by Die Linke, a hard-left party with its roots in the East German communist party, which garnered 31 per cent of the vote. But despite its strong performance it is unclear how Die Linke will be able to cobble together a functioning coalition government.
The party currently rules Thuringia in an alliance with the left-of-centre Social Democrats and the Greens. But after Sunday’s election, the so-called red-red-green coalition will no longer command a majority in the regional parliament. The SPD won just 8.2 per cent of the vote, the Greens 5.1 per cent.
Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, which came third, with 21.6 per cent of the vote, has refused to co-operate with Die Linke. The liberal Free Democrats (FDP) were on 5 per cent.
Read more at https://www.ft.com/search?q=East+German+state+Thuringia+faces+political+stalemate+after+election
