German Right Triumph in Hessen Election

German Right Triumph in Hessen Election

Iain Dale 5:47 PM

The result of the elections in the German state of Hessen are rather interesting. A year ago the SDP formed a coalition with the Greens and the Left Party, despite having gone into the election promising never to go into a coalition with The Left. New elections had to be called and the electorate have punished the SPD, whose vote has collapsed from 37% to 23% according to exit polls. The CDU has polled 37% and will now form a coalition with the economically liberal (some would say Thatcherite) FDP, whose vote has increased to 16%. The FDP is very much in favour of a tax cutting agenda.