You can watch the event video here:
Join us on 12 October from 6 to 7pm BST (7 to 8pm German time) on Zoom for an event with the International Association for the Study of German Politics to discuss the results of the German regional elections in Bavaria and Hesse. Four of the country’s 16 federal states were facing elections this year, including Berlin and Bremen.
State elections are important in Germany for three main reasons. First, states have significant power over policy, including for instance education, criminal justice and economic development. Secondly, they are an important barometer of public opinion and the standing of political parties. Thirdly, state governments are represented in Germany’s Upper House, the Bundesrat, which has a veto on any national laws which affect the states. At a time when Olaf Scholz’ “traffic light” coalition is not polling well and there are growing worries about the strength of the far-right AfD, these elections are particularly significant.
The session will take the form of a discussion with two leading experts, followed by a Q&A to which all attendees are invited to contribute.
Speakers: Michèle Auga, Director of the London Office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and Jochen Müller, Professor of Political Sociology, University of Greifswald.
Chair: Dr Ed Turner, Reader in Politics, Aston University, and chair of the International Association for the Study of German Politics