Greens from Germany, including the party’s candidate for chancellor, Annalena Baerbock (C), who celebrated in 2019 in Berlin after the European parliamentary elections.
TOBIAS BLACK | AFP | Getty Images
In a few years, Germany’s Green Party has moved from a bit on the fringes of the political institution to popularity and prominence.
Now it is in a position to catch up with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Alliance, the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union (CDU-CSU).
If he expands and holds the position, the party could be in control of the political, economic and, of course, environmental direction of Germany after the election on 26 September.
Recent voters put the party in second place of the CDU-CSU. A survey of 1,502 people from the Forsa Institute, conducted on Tuesday, put the Greens ahead by 28% of the vote – by 5 percentage points compared to a similar poll conducted between 6 and 12 April. Support for the CDU-CSU dropped by 6 points to 21%, the same poll showed.
Poll compiler Europe Elects noted on Twitter that if such a result were repeated in the election, it would be the first time since 2005 that Merkel’s conservative alliance did not come first.
While the Greens are certainly seeing an increase in popularity, it should be noted that a separate INSA poll for the Bild newspaper on Tuesday puts the CDU-CSU at 27% of the vote, and the Greens at 22% of the vote . which reflects similar results in other April polls.
In the last election in 2017, the Greens received only 8.9% of the vote, while Merkel’s CDU-CSU received a combined 33%.
“Everything is possible”
The Forsa poll is likely to give the Green Party a huge boost, which has gained solid momentum over the past few months and 40-year-old Annalena Baerbock, the party’s co-leader, was chosen as the Greens’ candidate earlier this week. for chancellor. Party officials are increasingly confident in their chances in the election.
“Anything is possible,” Bundestag and Green Party member Konstantin von Notz told CNBC on Tuesday, reflecting one of the party’s slogans.
“There should be no doubt about it, it’s going to be a very difficult election campaign. It’s going to be a big controversy, and people from all parties will be very difficult for us because the Greens say we can be the leading party. and it awakens every enemy. ‘
The Greens are attracting voters who are dissatisfied with Germany’s old wait for political parties. Recent scandals and political infighting within the CDU-CSU – recently, over whom the ally’s candidate for chancellor will be during the September 26 vote – have also favored the Greens, who look united, focused and call for a liberal , middle class and environmentally conscious voters.
Von Notz said the party had seen more voters flocking there in recent years and that many Germans were “tired” of the old political institution.
“Five months until the election is a long road, with many conflicts, no doubt about it, but I strongly believe that we have a very good narrative and strong political ideas about the future for Germany, the future for Europe and the connection. the problems with the economic crisis and the climate change problems that the whole world is facing, ‘he said.
As expected, the green promise of the Green is environmental protection. But the party also wants to restructure the country’s economic model into a socio-ecological system, which places more emphasis on green technologies, to abandon coal energy by 2030 and ban cars with internal combustion engines on German roads by 2030.
To help fund its program, the party called for the relaxation of the so-called debt brake that would enable Germany to raise more money in public markets, and also called for higher taxes on the rich. Money raised from such a wealth tax could in part fund an investment program of 50 billion euros ($ 60 billion) a year for a decade, which proposes the party to switch to a carbon-free economy.
According to strategists, a coalition between the CDU-CSU and the Greens is a basic scenario and the conservative bloc is preparing, according to Christian Schulz, director of European economics at Citi Research, who explained the direction of such a coalition. could enter.
“We would expect ambitious climate protection policies to be supported by large public investment. We doubt that the CDU / CSU will penalize tax increases, and that extra loans are likely to require changes to the constitutional debt brake. This would be possible, given the opposition SPD and the “The Left Party would not oppose this and ensure the necessary two-thirds majority,” Schulz said.
The German business groups are not so convinced by the policies of the Greens, but the BDI commented in March on the draft election program of the Green Party which offers ‘little light and much shade’.
In a statement, Joachim Lang, managing director of BDI, warned that “higher taxes and more bureaucracy will cost the economy and society dearly”, although he said the party’s calls for a decade of future investments “should be welcomed.”
“Higher taxes reduce investment power and hamper future spending on climate protection. Demands for higher CO2 prices without adequate alternatives weaken Germany’s competitiveness,” he said.
“A tax on wealth reduces investment opportunities on a large scale. Not only companies suffer from it, but also all citizens. From the point of view of the industry, a decade of future investments calls for overcoming the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and Germany as a business location is positive. ‘
Annette Weisbach of CNBC reportedly contributed to this story.