heute journal vom 30.06.2024 Wahlen in Frankreich, AfD-Parteitag, EM-Achtelfinale (english)

Vorspann And now, the "heute journal" with Hanna Zimmermann and Dunja Hayali. Good evening. Wahlen in Frankreich: Le Pens Partei vorne He's a TikTok star, and now, he also wants to become prime minister. He's the president of the National Rally party, Jordan Bardella. The French president is responsible for the fact that this is even an option at the moment. After his party's defeat in the European elections, Macron dissolved the National Assembly, though this was not necessary. It was a risky move, because anger at the president over promising more than he can deliver, has not dissipated. Rising right-wing nationalists are cashing in on that anger, especially outside of the major cities. Anne Arend reports on the first round of the parliamentary elections. It's the countdown to a fateful election. For the first time in French history, right-wing populists from the National Rally party are leading. The left-wing alliance is in second place. Macron's centrist camp is set to lose a significant number of seats in parliament. There are cheers in the north of France, Marine Le Pen' political home base. "The power shift begins", reads the slogan on her podium. With this election, the French have clearly shown that they want to start a new chapter. For seven years, they've been ruled by a power that despises them. Thank you to the voters. We take the results of the first round as a mandate for a change of direction. Marine Le Pen has already won an absolute majority in her constituency in today's first round. The picture is not as clear in many other constituencies. Specifics about the distribution of seats in the French parliament will only emerge after a runoff election. The parties now have one week to form local alliances. The New Popular Front, which is made up of social democrats, socialists, communists and green parties, is calling for a firewall against the right-wing nationalists. This is now a referendum. Yes or no? Do we want to let the extreme right come to elected power in our country for the time in French history? That is the only important question. The differences between political camps, whether left or conservative, lose all meaning in the face of this dramatic question. Fear of a shift to the right has mobilised protestors, who made their way to the Place de la République in Paris when the numbers were announced. The far right is on the threshold of power. I hope that a republican, democratic spark will ignite our country. The results mean clear defeat for Macron, who's long been criticised for his policies. The president was smiling for the cameras at midday, knowing full well that support for his camp was dwindling. He aimed to strengthen the country's political centre. He failed to defeat the extremists. That's also due to himself. I can't say for sure whether Macron's policies alone paved the way for the right-wing populists. It was mainly the way he communicated his policies. He's now paying a high price. This man, on the other hand, feels power is near. Jordan Bardella is president of the National Rally party. He wants to become France's first far-right prime minister. But after this election round, the decision is not yet made. Frankreich: Parteien der Mitte "sehr besorgt" There's a need for talks in Paris and Brussels, among other places. We'll turn there now, to our correspondents Ulf Röller and Thomas Walde. We'll start in the French capital. Thomas, the plan was to dissolve parliament in order to reemerge stronger. That backfired badly in the first round. Emmanuel Macron warned that a "civil war" threatened to break out if the far right or far left came to power. But that didn't stop voters from putting his party alliance in clear third place. As the yellow vest protests against the pension reform demonstrated with brutal candour, Macron's policies haven't had a majority in the country for a long time. He once wanted to overcome the divisions in the country. Looking at today's results, you have to conclude he didn't succeed. His main goal was always to keep the extreme right out of power. That is now being called into question too. It's basically a double blow. What happens next? There's now a second round of voting in most constituencies. The election is based on majority voting. Only one person can win in the end. When so many people vote, as they did today, three candidates often make it into the run-off. The left has said they will withdraw any of their candidates that came in third, so that someone else has a better chance against the National Rally party. Macron's camp is doing similarly, but they haven't been as clear about it, and they have expressed some reservations. Macron's rhetoric about civil war still echoes in the background, which also referred to the extreme left. It's clear that there are great ideological differences in the camps to the left of Le Pen and Bardella, maybe too great to prevent the National Rally party from coming to power. Turning now from Paris to Brussels, the seat of the EU. Ulf, a victory for the National Rally part would have implications for the European Union. It would definitely move further to the right. How is Brussels looking at this parliamentary election? Pro-European forces, the centre parties, are very worried. You could say they're almost panicked. The situation in Europe is very difficult. There's a Russian war of aggression underway. They need a French president in top form. Now, Macron may become a political lame duck, incapable of acting. That would cause huge problems, like on the question of whether funding for Ukraine and funding for the war in Ukraine is still secure in Europe. That will no longer be the case if the right wing comes to power. That would be a huge problem. The second point is that this election in France shows what's increasingly taking place all over Europe: a shift to the right. The right and right-wing nationalists are on the rise in the Netherlands, Austria, Hungary and now also in France. The right-wing nationalists want a completely different European Union than the centre forces here. In the end, the risk of polarisation and division could be very dangerous. Those were live assessments from our correspondents in Paris and Brussels. Thank you both very much. Have a nice evening. AfD: 13 Männer und nur eine Frau Big risk, big fall. This European election campaign went wrong not only for Macron, but also in part for the AfD. The reasons were the two top candidates, Krah and Bystron. Various allegations were made against them. The AfD ended up with just under 16%, instead of the predicted 20% plus. There was meant to be a reappraisal at the AfD party conference. That didn't really happen. As with almost all other controversial topics, it was postponed or just pushed aside completely. It felt like the motto was: "Don't rock the boat before the three eastern state elections, please." Better to present a pretty face for the electorate. David Gebhard reports. Associations close to the AfD presented themselves on the ground floor of the party conference venue. Women's interest groups were represented, among others. We have eye masks. A little something for beauty. We have a sheet mask and a foot scrub. Upstairs in the hall, a choir of almost all male voices sang the national anthem. A group picture with just one woman. The new federal executive board includes 13 men and only one woman. Nobody gets a position in the AfD on the basis of gender, but on the basis of achievement, i.e. what they can and do accomplish. So, women in the AfD are able to do less? Women can do just as much. There are just fewer. Not only does the AfD have a problem with women in their party, but also with powerful right-wing women abroad. Giorgia Meloni in Italy and Marine Le Pen in France have become something like the "evil stepsisters". We don't want to become "Meloni-ised". There will be no "Meloni-ising" in the AfD with me in the office. So, Madame Le Pen, who do you want to work with in Germany, then? We will govern. And we'll get there faster than their party did in France. The party has come a long way in Europe's party landscape. As recently as 2014, the AfD had ruled out working with Le Pen, Wilders and the FPÖ, because they were too radical. We clearly distanced ourselves from Le Pen, Wilders and the FPÖ. We said no way. In the meantime, however, it's precisely these parties distancing themselves from the AfD. That's the way it is. I can't sugarcoat it. It's a bitter pill. We were shown the door by our parliamentary group. One of the reasons for their isolation is ousted EU top candidate Maximilian Krah. He was present in Essen only on solidarity stickers. He had trivialised the SS and, more recently, incited racism against the German national football team. Do you still feel this is "our" national team today? Foreign legion! -The foreign legion. The national team was called a "foreign legion", and the European Championship is being boycotted as an "event for idiots". When it comes to football, the AfD repeatedly kicks amiss. Weidel wanted to demonstrate unity at the party conference. My beloved co-spokeswoman. My beloved... Tino Chrupalla. But a rumour made the rounds in the hall today. Chrupalla had allegedly recommended that delegates not vote for Weidel. Can you say for sure that you didn't do it? Of course I can say that for sure. Do you trust Mr Chrupalla? -Yes. Weidel received surprisingly fewer votes yesterday than Chrupalla. The harmony showed its first cracks today. There were fewer votes for Weidel than for Chrupalla. AfD-Chefin Alice Weidel im ZDF-Interview That came as quite a surprise. Alice Weidel, who has the support of the base, is considered the undisputed number one. Some already spoke of her as the AfD's undisputed candidate for chancellor. With that, good evening to Alice Weidel in Essen. Hello, Ms Hayali. I had actually wanted to ask you why you need Tino Chrupalla. But after yesterday's vote, I'm going to flip the question. Why does he need you? Why is that the question? We've achieved great results here. Sure, I think there are seven or eight votes separating us. I'm very happy about his results, I will say that much. We're coming out of here stronger than ever, as a dual leadership team. There was a strong campaign against Mr Chrupalla over the last week. The accusation went that he "wavers". That has rightly led to a show of solidarity here in the hall. Both he and I are accordingly very proud of his results. But what you now call a "campaign" came about simply because it was said that the AfD should have a general secretary, and with it, just one leader. But this proposal has been postponed for the time being. Looking again at your role and your results: Some people may resent the handling of the Krah affair. They wanted to keep him out of the European election campaign. Some say you reacted too late. Others, including Björn Höcke, say that withdrawing Krah was a mistake. Is Björn Höcke right? Anyone in a leadership position in a party or company bears responsibility. They have to take responsibility, and that's what I do. I addressed precisely these issues here yesterday. I could have given completely different speeches in the opening of this party conference and in my own bid. But I am a chairwoman that speaks plainly. That includes in areas where there's clear room for improvement. Yes, although we achieved excellent results in the European election campaign as the second strongest force in the nation and the strongest force in the East, there was potential for more. There's no way around it. That's what we're going to work on. I've made it my mission. I also addressed this very clearly. If I make myself unpopular with one or two people, then that's just the way it is. But it's part of my job. So no mistake was made, from your point of view. You're now looking for a new faction in the European Parliament after Marine Le Pen said, for whatever reason, that you're too far to the right. Now, all that's left for AfD members is the "right-wing extremist bargain basement". Is it still the case that you're to blame for this failure? My key project has been to integrate the AfD into the ID parliamentary group across Europe. And I managed to do that last year. Will you try to do it again this year? This led to us being quite literally blocked. That was largely beyond my control, but I still take responsibility for it. I have to say quite clearly in this case: I am keeping my fingers crossed for the National Rally party, Le Pen and, above all, Jordan Bardella in today's election in France. I believe that they will achieve an outstanding result. However, the window for European cooperation with the Alternative for Germany is closed for the foreseeable future. However, what will happen in the near future or in the long-term remains to be seen. In spite of the fact that you have virtually thrown Maximilian Krah out of the delegation. You seem to be on the hunt for partners, Ms Weidel, or at least that's how I would put it, especially when it comes to the three state elections. "Our strong results will force the CDU to talk to us after the elections." That's what Tino Chrupalla said. How exactly do you intend to force the CDU? First of all, you can't force anyone to do anything. We are, of course, open to talk. I believe that part of a political party's task is to represent their electorate and to be willing to compromise in order to achieve majorities. Accordingly, parties should talk to each other. We assume that the election winners will talk to each other, as they should, and not the election losers, thus we assume that we will hold talks with the CDU, but also with the BSW. Talk is good, of course. You just don't necessarily have to work together. If you get 30% of the vote, then 70% might not have voted for you. Many of those who don't vote for you are women, by the way. You only have one AfD state chairwoman, out of 20, and there is only one woman out of 14 on the federal executive board, and that's you. Why do women hardly ever vote for the AfD? Is it because of your staffing or your platform? You have to separate the two things. Starting with who sits on our boards and who elects us. I think I'll start with the latter, because I think that's much more exciting than the other. I believe that we have to win over women as a target group, namely, women who want to go to work, have children and have a career. Above all, those who have to work. This is an area that we really need to work on. To answer your first question, or statement, we are against a quota, of course. I am personally against a women's quota, because a quota is fundamentally discriminatory against those who are not women. And, of course, it also clearly violates the principle of merit and the principle of equality in the filling of positions. However, I agree with you on one point: There is clearly room for improvement. I have found that the higher the proportion of women, the better it is for the working atmosphere in committees. Accordingly, I believe that we should also work as a party to ensure that significantly more women dare to run for such board positions, because we have some really great women in our party. Ms Weidel, the party conference is over. The stage is being dismantled behind you. However, the Euros are not over yet. Some AfD members seem to have a problem with the German national team. Maximilian Krah has said that nobody is interested in this "foreign legion". The market share yesterday alone was almost 77%, with over 20 million people regularly watching the games. Höcke doesn't identify with this team either, perceiving his own national team as an opponent. Why? I can't answer that. You'll have to ask Krah and Höcke themselves. I'm definitely cheering the team on. I think it's great that good football is finally being played again, and that the German national team won 2:0 against Denmark yesterday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I've already said publicly that I think Musiala is a great young player. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they win this tournament and more. Everyone gets to make up their own minds. I'm looking forward to the next Germany game. I see. Thank you very much for your time, Alice Weidel, just after the party conference. Thank you, Ms Hayali. Have a nice evening. We recorded that interview late this afternoon. As we just heard, the AfD is still looking for partners to form a parliamentary group. Hungary's president, on the other hand, has probably found what he was looking for. Hanna has more, in the next part of the news. There could soon be a new far-right group in the EU Parliament, at least that is the declared aim of Hungary's Prime Minister Orbán, who has forged an alliance with the Austrian FPÖ party and the ANO party from the Czech Republic. However, the alliance, which is called "Patriots for Europe", still needs the support of MEPs from four other EU states in order to be recognised as a parliamentary group. It remains to be seen whether the AfD will join. Once again, German arms exports increased significantly in the first half of the year. By 18 June, the German government had approved exports worth almost 7.5 billion euros. This is an increase of around 30% compared with the first half of 2023, with around two thirds of exports destined for Ukraine. This was according to a response from the Federal Ministry of Economics to a question from the BSW. Germany had already set a new record for arms exports last year. Russia has continued heavy attacks in the region around Kharkiv. According to authorities, one person was killed in the most recent glide bomb attacks, and several were injured, including an infant. Russian forces had previously fired rockets at the town of Vilniansk. Important infrastructure and a residential building were hit. A day of mourning was held today to commemorate the seven dead and dozens of injured. Heavy thunderstorms with heavy rain, hail and lots of lightning swept across Germany yesterday evening and into the night. However, despite many calls, the fire department and police said that the weather was not too severe, unlike in Switzerland. There, the storms claimed at least four lives, as heavy rain led to landslides and flooding. Tourists had to be brought to safety in an Italian Alpine village. There, a small waterfall turned into a menacing flash flood. Now to the European Championships. The match between England and Slovakia got really exciting today. The reigning European runners-up were almost eliminated in the round of 16. In the end, however, the English were able to celebrate. Bellingham and Kane turned the game around, sending the England fans into ecstasy. For a long time, it looked like England would be embarrassed, as Slovakia took a deserved lead in the 25th minute with their top scorer in the European Championship, Ivan Schranz. The winger continued to put up a good show, almost maintaining the lead against the careless English team. Coach Southgate's team only woke up late, but they were lucky to have Jude Bellingham on board. He had the nerve to risk a bicycle kick in stoppage time. What a spectacular goal from the ex-Dortmund man, making it 1:1. The game went into extra time. Jude was the game-changer, scoring a goal like that in that moment just shows what kind of a player he is, and what kind of mindset he has. He kept us in the tournament with one of probably the best goals in English history. Harry Kane was also switched on in the big moments today. The captain took the first chance he could in extra time, putting England through to the next stage with a header. The quarterfinal is on Saturday against strong opponents Switzerland. England will have to improve their performance to progress further. "Shithole" Gelsenkirchen The England vs Switzerland game on Saturday will take place in Düsseldorf. Today's game took place in Gelsenkirchen, or rather, in an "absolute shithole". This is how an English video blogger described the city in the Ruhr region after the Three Lions' first game. This derogatory statement was made simply because he found the city so ugly and probably also because of severe transportation difficulties. Dominik Müller-Russell reports. Paul Brown is an English football fan, and now, a social media star in Germany. He had plenty to do at lunchtime. He had promised to buy a drink for anyone who called him a "shithole" as an apology in Gelsenkirchen today. A gentleman, and great fun. A lot of people have come up to me to insult me and want to have a drink with me. It must have been a hundred for me by now. A wonderful day, thank you. In this video from two weeks ago, Paul Brown passed judgement on Gelsenkirchen when he arrived at the main station early in the morning. "This is supposed to be a European Championship venue?" "Absolute shithole." Fans haven't just had to deal with depressing city centres, they have also been confronted with German infrastructure. A nerve-wracking wait before and after the games. There were harsh judgements here, too. What is negative here? Uh, your train system. Our train was an hour late. That was not good. Disillusionment: Travelling in Germany is "a hassle", according to an English fan representative. I think a lot of fans had problems, not only in Gelsenkirchen, but everywhere at the European Championships. Delayed trains, cancelled trains. Perhaps it's not such a bad thing to be confronted from the outside with all the things that are going wrong in Germany. In any case, hardly anyone in Gelsenkirchen is angry with Paul Brown. On the contrary, and not just because of the free drinks. Markus Mau, for example, a social worker in Gelsenkirchen, which has the highest unemployment rate and the highest child poverty rate in Germany. He thinks something urgently needs to be done here, and is grateful for the attention. This "shithole" discussion and the debate about it, is a bit exaggerated, of course. There are good things here too. You certainly have to look for them a bit more than in other cities, but they're there. Still, there's a lot to be done. That needs to be addressed. It's a city with 250,000 inhabitants, after all. Lots of people's live here, and they deserve to be taken care of a little more. Better conditions need to be created for the people here. The most important voice among England's supporters at this European Championship has said that Gelsenkirchen are great hosts: Paul Brown. I absolutely love the atmosphere here. You won't find that anywhere else. Then, the big win by England in Gelsenkirchen. That also sparked important debates and got a good mood going. Thanks, England, and cheers! aus:blick auf die Woche A little happy ending. So, Gelsenkirchen doesn't seem to be a bad place for the English in this European Championship. After all, they have now played there twice and won twice. Next week, of course, they will continue to play. The last four round of 16 matches will take place on Monday and Tuesday. The quarterfinals will then start on Friday with Spain, among others, who have just won 4:1 against Georgia, and will be playing against Germany. Carolina Freitag reports on other important topics, besides football. OUT:LOOK Every six months, the EU states take turns to lead the Council of Ministers. On Monday, Hungary will take over this important task with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at the helm. Many EU partners fear a permanent blockade by the right-wing populist, especially when it comes to migration, the rule of law and support for Ukraine. After years of frosty relations, Germany and Poland want to revive their relationship. Chancellor Scholz will travel to Warsaw on Tuesday, with several ministers. These will be the first government consultations since 2018, and the first ones with Donald Tusk's centre-left government, which replaced the national conservative PiS party at the end of last year. Great Britain and Northern Ireland will elect a new parliament on Thursday. The Conservatives around Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are facing the defeat of the century. After 14 years of Tory government, this man could now become the new strongman on the island. Challenger Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour Party, Now, a further outlook on the rather unsettled weather prospects. Tomorrow, there will be showers and thunderstorms, with a mix of lots of clouds and some sunshine. Temperatures will reach 17 to 22 degrees, with a brisk wind. There will be little change in this changeable and chilly weather over the next few days. Maximum temperatures will be between 17 and 23 degrees. If you didn't know any better, you'd think it was April. Either way, we wish you a good start to the new week. It starts here with Heinz Wolf and... -...Marietta Slomka. Take care, wherever you are. -Goodbye.