Mar 06 2025 50 mins 1
Following the collapse of the so-called “traffic light” coalition in late 2024, a snap federal election was held in Germany on 23 February 2025, 7 months before the “ordinary” one scheduled for late September. In the campaign, the economic situation and immigration and public security were the top issues on the agenda. The stakes of the election and voter expectations were high, which is indicated by the highest turnout (82.5%) since the reunification of the country.
What was the parties’ strategy? What happened at the polls? What motivated the citizens to vote in such a large number? Does the increasingly visible East–West divide in voter behavior and preferences indicate a structural change in party competition and the party system? Who are the “winners” and “losers” of the election? What are the prospects for the right-wing populist AfD? How will the CDU-CSU and the SPD reach an agreement to form a government? How will the German–Hungarian bilateral relations develop under the new cabinet? In the new episode of the Votes & Seats podcast series of the Center for Political Science of Mathias Corvinus Collegium, Szabolcs Janik had the honor to discuss these and similar questions with Oliver W. Lembcke, professor of political science at the Ruhr University in Bochum and visiting fellow at MCC.
With the help of guest experts and politicians, in the podcast series of MCC’s Centre for Political Science we endeavor to analyze which actors are the real winners of the parliamentary and municipal elections taking place this year in different European countries and what exactly can be considered a real victory after the ballot counts.
