Expert: Ukraine Will Have to Hope for German Political Traditions

According to experts, Olaf Scholz, leader of the Social Democratic Party, will become Germany's new chancellor.

Parliamentary elections were held in Germany. According to the Federal Returning Officer, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) received the most seats, gaining 25.5% of voter support in a short period of time.

For the first time since World War II, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) lost the lead in the Bundestag, with 21%. The Greens took third place, which polls over the summer had predicted would win and which Ukraine openly supported — almost 15%.

The Left Party, the Alternative for Germany and the Free Democratic Party also entered parliament. After the final vote count, Germans will traditionally move into months of negotiations to form coalitions and a government.

European political scientists forecast two possible scenarios: the liberals and the Greens will join either the Social Democrats or the CDU. However, it is not yet known what the political heavyweights will offer the newcomers in parliament.

Konstantin Fedorenko, an employee of the Center for East European and International Studies, told TK Media in a comment that the Greens will find it difficult to oppose the completion of Nord Stream 2.

Both the CDU, the SPD and the liberals support the project. The parties are also keen to improve relations with Russia. According to Fedorenko, Ukraine can only hope for German political traditions.

Konstantin Fedorenko
expert

In the Bundestag, it is generally accepted that the foreign ministry goes to the second party in the coalition. In both cases this would be the Greens, who gained political weight through their criticism of Nord Stream 2. The issue of ecology is now very pressing in Germany. However, following the same traditions, German parliamentarians are used to adhering to coalition agreements. The new chancellor from the SPD or CDU will restrain the active actions of the Green minister.

Maxim Yakovlev, head of the Department of International Relations at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy National University of Kyiv, told TK Media in a comment that the coalition will be formed with the Social Democrats, and its leader Olaf Scholz will become Germany's new chancellor.

Maxim Yakovlev
expert

It cannot be that the party supported by the most voters is in opposition rather than forming a coalition and holding key positions in the government.

The expert is confident in Scholz's strong support among the population, which expects the continuation of Merkel's course of German stability. Yakovlev stressed that the Greens and Ukrainian diplomats in Germany will have to take this into account when promoting their own interests.

Susan Spamm, a German doctor of philosophy, told the Iceland TV channel that the Greens alienated voters with harsh statements, including open support for Ukraine. She explained this by the conservatism of Germans, who prefer centrism in geopolitics.