FOLLOW-UP TO THREE ELECTIONS


March 2:
Today I want to make a short update on what has happened after the three elections in February:
IRELAND:  parliamentary elections on February 8:
Altogether 160 members of parliament ( the Dail ) had to be elected. The result was in many ways surprising, and it is still unclear what government will appear after that.

The Result:

Fianna Fail  ( conservative ):       38 seats.      Leader:  Michael Martin

Sinn Fein ( leftist ):                        37 seats       Leader:  Mary Lou McDonald

Fine Gael ( liberal ):                       35 seats       Leader:  Leo Varadkar

The Greens:                                     12 seats

Labour:                                             6 seats

The big winner was Sinn Fein.  But the other parties do not seem to want to work with them because of their believed links to the IRA.

Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have had contact, but so far without result.

A likely outcome is a government by either FF or FG together with one or more of the smaller parties – or a minority government with sufficient support.

All parties seem to take a reflection periode until after St. Patrick’s Day – March 17.  Sinn Fein, though, is doing what they can to move into a governmental position for the first time ever.



HAMBURG:  parliamentary elections on February 23:
The parliament ( called Bürgerschaft ) has 121 members ( now 123 ).
Result:

SPD ( social-democrats ):                     54 seats   Leader: Peter Tschentscher

CDU ( Christian-democrats ) :             15 seats   Leader:  Marcus Weinberg  ( loser )

Greens / Alliance 90:                            33 seats   Leader:  Katharina Fegebank  ( big win )

Linke ( left ):                                           13 seats

AfD (Alternative for Deutschland):   7 seats      ( very right-wing )

FDP  ( liberals )                                       1 seat        ( big loser )



The present coalition government between SPD and the Greens will in all likelihood continue.  They are at the moment negotiating about the conditions. The Greens, of course, want more ministerial posts ( called Senatoren ) after their big win.  And the transport policy is a key priority for them.
The new parliament will start on March 22.



SLOVAKIA:  parliamentary elections on February 29:
Altogether 150 members of parliament had to be selected.
Result:

OLANO  ( party of ordinary people):      53 seats.      Leader:  Igor Matovic  (big win)

SMER ( social democrats):                        38 seats       Leader: Peter Pellegrini  (big loser)

We are Family:                                            17 seats       Leader:  Boris Kollar

Our Slovakia:                                               17 seats       Leader:  Marian Kotleba ( ultra right )

Freedom and Solidarity:                           13 seats       Leader:  Richard Sulik

Za L’udi:                                                        12 seats       Leader:  Andrej Kiska



President Zuzana Caputova has started the process with government negotiations. The most likely outcome is that OLANO with Igor Matovic will form the new government together with one or more of the smaller parties, though not the extremist party Our Slovakia.

Igor Matovic’s background is the media world, where he has become a millionaire. His main political goal is to fight corruption. He is by many seen as rather populistic.

A big and positive surprise was that 65,8 % voted.  Incl. lots of Slovaks abroad.  This is the highest participation in elections in Slovakia for more than 20 years.

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