Germany: Political Developments and Data in 2022

Abstract

Against the background of the Russian war on Ukraine, the new traffic light coalition of the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens, and the Free Democrats (FDP) led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) called a new era ( Zeitenwende ) in German foreign and security policy. The discussions on military support for Ukraine significantly shaped public debate in Germany in 2022. While the Left Party and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) rejected arms deliveries, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) criticized the federal government for hesitating. In addition to the German presidential election that saw the re‐election of Frank‐Walter Steinmeier, there were four regional elections in Saarland, Schleswig‐Holstein, North Rhine‐Westphalia, and Lower Saxony.