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.
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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
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