Germany's government was recently dissolved, and the country held new elections in a political atmosphere very similar to the United States. Long Island native Ron Nehring traveled to Europe to report on the situation firsthand and conducted an international seminar to discuss his findings.
Working through the Leadership Institute, a Virginia-based organization dedicated to developing the nation’s future leaders, Nehring arranged speakers who were on the winning side of the German election. They discussed the issues stirring the continent, including the war in Ukraine, terrorism, rampant immigration, and the weak economy, matters which also drove U.S. voters to the polls in November.
Nehring is no stranger to politics. A graduate of Stony Brook University, where he was the president of the College Republicans, he headed west to become the GOP leader of San Diego County. Revitalizing that organization, he rose to become the California party leader, playing a key role in getting Arnold Schwarzenegger elected governor, the first and last Republican in that role for many years. Nehring himself ran statewide, winning 43% of the vote in his bid to take out now-governor Gavin Newsom when he served as a lieutenant for Jerry Brown.
According to Nehring, the director of International Programs for the Leadership Institute, political turmoil roiled Germany in November when Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed the finance minister due to disagreements over economic policies. This led to the collapse of a three-party coalition government. Subsequently, a vote of confidence was held in December, which the government lost, prompting President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to dissolve the Bundestag and call for early elections on February 23.
The elections resulted in significant gains for the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union (CDU-CSU). Led by Friedrich Merz, they reached a preliminary coalition agreement with the Social Democrats, moving Merz closer to becoming Germany’s next chancellor. The coalition deal includes provisions for unlimited defense spending and a 500 billion Euro infrastructure investment ($544 billion in U.S. dollars).
The parties aim to finalize the agreement by Easter, with compromises on immigration policies and economic measures, such as raising the national minimum wage to €15 and enhancing pension protections.
A featured speaker at the international seminar was Gerhard Hopp, a member of the Christian Social Union serving in the Bavarian State Parliament. “The winter election replaced the worst government in years during a time of crisis. The three-party government collapsed,” Hopp said. “The center-left government is coming to an end.”
According to Hopp, the mood in his country was bleak with the previous administration unable to solve problems. “The country was very polarized; people were afraid over security issues in the world and at home; 82% of the people were afraid to go outside,” he said, noting that Eastern Germany, once part of the Communist bloc, did not feel respected. “The people want a government that solves problems.”
Another speaker, Markus Mochti, head of Social Media for the CSU, spoke of the power of digital campaigning during the election. “We had 125 million interactions; it was massive,” Mochti said of an online presence that mixed serious issues such as border control with “fun” videos of the candidates. The party has 700,000 followers on Instagram, with about 8% being new voters. He pointed out that it was the first time Social Media had such a great effect on German politics.
“Social Media was a big driver overall; it was a phenomenon, really historic,” Mochti stated. It was the party’s first time on TikTok, where they picked up 100,000 followers. A tide-turning video had a half million views. The communications technology motivated more than 300,000 Germans to rally outside the Christian Social Union headquarters in advance of the election.
Hopp pointed out that the February contest saw an uptick in younger first-time voters, many of which shied away from the Green and Liberal parties of the Left. “They were moved by emotion, concerned about terrorism, inflation, and housing costs.”
Nehring said the international seminar was the first of its kind for the Leadership Institute. “There was great interest in this; we will be doing more of these.” Visit them at www.LeadershipInstitute.org