ERFURT/DRESDEN. The AfD has from the beginning German Federal Youth Council won first place by a wide margin at the European youth elections in Thuringia. 46.8 percent of voters under the age of 18 voted for her. They are followed by the CDU with 17.6 percent and the SPD with 15.7 percent.
The left, with Bodo Ramelow as prime minister, received only 2.1 percent. The Greens, who are also in government, accounted for 1.6 percent, while the FDP received 0.9 percent. The family and animal protection parties share fourth place with 3.2 percent each.
AfD wins in all eastern states
The AfD also emerged victorious in the U18 elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (39.7 percent), Brandenburg (38.3 percent), Saxony-Anhalt (28.2 percent) and Saxony (26.0 percent). .
Even in the southeastern Free State, where it achieved the weakest result among the eastern German states, the AfD more support than the three traffic light parties in power in Berlin combined. The Greens accounted for 11.6 percent, the SPD 9.8 percent and the FDP 2.2 percent. That amounts to 23.6 percent. The left came in second, behind the AfD, with 14.8 percent. The CDU achieved 11.2 percent, putting it in fourth place.
The SPD is leading the way nationally
However, the results are different across Germany: the SPD did best with 19.7 percent of the vote. Followed by the CDU/CSU (19.4 percent), the Greens (13.8 percent), the AfD (13.6 percent) and the left (6.8 percent). The FDP was the seventh most popular party after the Animal Welfare Party (4.3 percent) with 4.1 percent. The other parties accounted for 18.3 percent.
In the West German states, the AfD is strongest in Lower Saxony. There she received 18.0 percent. The German Federal Youth Association organizes the U18 elections to introduce young people to democracy and motivate them to become politically active. (fh)