Scholz: "Sunday's election results are bitter"

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has described the election results in Thuringia and Saxony as "bitter". At the same time, he expressed relief that the "gloomy forecasts", according to which the SPD could have fallen below the five percent threshold, did not materialize.

"Sunday's election results are bitter - for us too. Nevertheless, the SPD has stuck together. We ran a good and clear election campaign together," reads the chancellor's first reaction to the results, which Scholz shared on Instagram in his role as a member of the Bundestag. "It shows: fighting pays off. Now it's about constantly seeking more and new support."

The SPD had achieved its worst election results since 1990 in Saxony and Thuringia with 7.3 and 6.1 percent respectively. The result in Thuringia is even the worst ever in a state election.

Scholz wrote that he was particularly concerned about the results of the AfD in Saxony and Thuringia. The party, which is classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist, received more than 30 percent of the vote in both states. "Our country cannot and must not get used to this," said Scholz. "The AfD is damaging Germany. It is weakening the economy, dividing society and ruining our country's reputation. All democratic parties are now called upon to form stable governments without right-wing extremists."

The chancellor's reaction to the election results was quicker this time than after the SPD's defeat in the European elections in May, when it achieved its worst result in a national election for 130 years with 13.9 percent. At that time, Scholz had only made a statement the following day when asked at a press conference with a guest from abroad. This was also met with criticism within the SPD. The fact that Scholz was now broadcasting his reaction as a member of the Bundestag is probably due to the fact that elections and election campaigns are considered a party matter.