Greens

Germany has voted. The SPD, Greens and FDP come out of the elections as the winners, but take a very different view of the results – depending on their expectations and the pressure they feel upon them to act. By and large, the trend towards a party system in which no single party dominates continues. Constituency seats played a very particular role in these elections. This brief analysis provides an overview of the initial results, with a more comprehensive, empirical analysis to follow in the next few days.

Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Czechia, Cyprus, and Russia are just some of the European countries set to hold national parliamentary elections in 2021. Beyond that, voters have the chance to elect crucial regional and local assemblies, for example, in Scotland and Catalonia. The following article sheds light on elections relevant to the European Green Party (EGP) in the next twelve <months in the EU and beyond. It will show that the Greens have the chance to change the face of the continent, as they are well-positioned to perform strongly in multiple electoral races in powerful states and regions.

The European Greens look back on two exceptional years of electoral history. In 2019, members of the European Green Party (EGP) won record numbers of seats in the European election. This two-article series shows how EGP members profited from this electoral wave in 2020 and sheds light on what to expect from elections in Europe in 2021. This first article shows that the Greens in Europe generally were able to establish themselves further at the local and regional level in Western Europe and get a foot in the door in some Eastern European countries.

Since the 2017 federal elections, Alliance 90/The Greens (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) have increased the number of their governmental participations in the Länder on a high level. In Hesse, Bremen, Thuringia and Hamburg they were able to continue four coalitions in identical or slightly adjusted constellations.

Questions of environmental and climate policy remain relevant even during a pandemic, as the protests and debates about the stimulus package to fight the crisis show.  The German states have taken on a deciding roll regarding questions of implementation – which started already during the negotiations for the climate package. The Greens contributed the most to the climate package's increased substance.