The results of parliamentary elections in seven German federal states, ongoing
since early 2011, show the collapse of the existing order on the
German political scene, both on a national level and on the level of the
individual federal states. So far, the federal states have been governed by
one of the catch-all parties1 – i.e. the Christian Democrats or Social Democrats
– in coalitions with smaller partners – the FDP and the Greens,
respectively2. This year’s elections have fully revealed the extent of social
transformation in Germany and its impact on voting preferences and the
hitherto stable party system in this country. The largest and most popular
parties so far – the CDU and the SPD – are losing the voters’ confidence
and support, whereas the parties associated with protest movements (such
as the Greens) are gaining prominence. Moreover, the German political
scene is undergoing increasing fragmentation, as new small, local groups
are appearing who have no political aspirations at the federal level but
who are attractive to voters acting as successful groups of common cause.
The changes in the existing balance of power on the German political scene
are being sped up by the specific features of the federal system. Elections
to the parliaments of the federal states are held at regular intervals which
increasingly affects policies on the national level. The key decisions that
concern domestic and foreign affairs are made under the pressure of constant
election campaigns