heute 19:00 Uhr 10.06.24 Europawahl, Rechtsruck bei EU-Wahl, Frankreich löst Parlament auf (english)

Vorspann The nightly news with Mitri Sirin. Good evening. Katja Streso will present the sports later on. Indeed. Good evening. What does the outcome of the European elections mean for politics in Germany and in Brussels? That's the main focus of tonight's programme. Parliament has moved towards the right after the European elections. In Germany, the traffic light coalition parties are struggling with their losses. A drastic reaction in France. President Macron has drawn conclusions from the European results and called new elections. The DFB team has begun preparations in Herzogenaurach ahead of their opening match in the European Championship against Scotland. Reaktionen am Tag nach der Europawahl Politics could soon look quite different in Brussels. In many countries, the European elections brought gains for far-right parties alongside further fragmentation of the political landscape. This was also the case in Germany. Before we examine how the traffic light coalition licked its wounds while the AfD celebrated, let's take another look at how Germany voted. The Union was the clear winner, with 30%. The AfD came second, with 15.9%, followed by the SPD with 13.9% and the Greens with 11.9%. The BSW received 6.2% right out of the gate, and the FDP won 5.2%. Other parties had a total of 16.9%, including the Left party and the European party Volt. Britta Spiekermann reports on people's reactions the day after the European election. While Chile's president visited the Chancellery today, it was clear that Berlin was shaken up by the politics of yesterday. Scholz remained silent until this afternoon. When journalists asked what personal responsibility he could bear, Scholz just answered with a classic Scholz response. No one should simply go back to business as usual. At the same time, however, we should also continue doing our job, to ensure that... our country modernises, that it moves forward. CDU leader Merz has found himself on the rise and seems convinced that Ursula von der Leyen will become Commission President again. Merz does not want the new elections demanded by Bavaria's Minister President Söder. But his criticism was harsh. For quite some time, this coalition has not been making decisions on any areas of policy with the approval of the majority of the population of Germany. The scandals surrounding this man accompanied the AfD election campaign. It is now clear that there will be no cooperation with top candidate Maximilian Krah in Brussels. He will still sit in the European Parliament, but not for his party, the AfD. Otherwise, they appeared satisfied, and full of bite. As I have already mentioned, the traffic light coalition has been punished. This is a vote against the chancellor, who must now clear the way for new elections. The FDP remained stable at a low level in Europe, and Lindner made it clear: the debt brake would stay, and taxes would not be increased. This narrowed the field for the Greens. The big losers of the election could only see one solution today: Less arguing. It can't continue this way, because we need up-to-date answers to the challenges of our time. We remain convinced of this. It requires a strong Green party, and we want to return to this strength. It was a triumph for Sahra Wagenknecht. Her old party, the Left, lay at the bottom of the heap, while her new BSW party managed to achieve over 6% out of the gate. We have come to stay. We can't emphasise that enough. That's what this election has shown. At the end of the visit, there was a smile from Scholz after all. Business as usual: The work goes on, and so does governance. That's what Scholz wants, in spite of the tremor that just shook Berlin's politics. That's where we're headed now, with Diana Zimmermann. Regieren in Berlin noch schwieriger What consequences will the election result have for the chancellor and the coalition government? In concrete terms, it will make governing in Berlin even more difficult, of course. The coalition has received a harsh blow, and it was already in a bad way. The budget negotiations, which are due in the coming weeks, were already seen as a test before yesterday. It now remains to be seen whether the three parties can still come to an agreement. Can they still govern together? The chancellor said today that we must not now go back to the daily routine. Otherwise, however, he behaved in his usual unperturbed manner. He continues to believe that citizens will still recognise the good work of the coalition by the 2025 federal elections. Diana, the AfD is now by far the strongest force in the East. Considering the upcoming state elections, how could this affect government policy? Yesterday didn't just stop the traffic light coalition in its tracks, it was also a blow for the Union. Support for the traffic light parties in the two federal states where elections were held first, namely Saxony and Thuringia, was so low that it hardly played a role yesterday. The AfD was ahead everywhere. The BSW achieved a double-digit result right out of the gate. It is completely out of the question that there could still be a change of mood between now and September, and the argument that only six million people are voting won't fly. The elections in September will reveal that the traffic light coalition is not reaching voters, and as things stand today, they don't know how to change that. Thank you for this analysis, Diana, in Berlin. Ost-West-Unterschied bei Europawahl The results of the European elections show quite clearly that Germany is divided in two. While the majority of people in most western constituencies voted for the Union, the AfD won in most of the east. It scored an average of just under 29% there, with 13% in the West. The BSW averaged 4.4% in the West, and was particularly strong in the East, with 14%. Cornelia Schiemenz reports. Throughout Saxony, the AfD won the European elections by a large margin. The frontrunner was the municipality of Neisseaue on the Polish border, where 56% of voters voted for the right-wing populists. I can live with that. At least I think so. I hope that something will change for the better for us in the region. I'm quite satisfied so far. It's incomprehensible to me how people can vote for the AfD, even though they don't do anything for us. I can't see any added value. The AfD did well all over Saxony, in every district and city. They ended up achieving 32% in the European elections, 12 weeks before the state elections. The AfD, which has been classified as right-wing extremist in Saxony, formulated their claim to power. Against the backdrop of the fact that we are the strongest force, with 30%, and a huge gap to the ruling CDU this should perhaps make people think about whether this firewall discussion makes sense, because the party, which has the most voter approval cannot be ignored in the long term. The Sahra Wagenknecht's BSW party achieved 12.6% out of the gate. The BSW and AfD results have shown that many people are deeply dissatisfied with politics. They do not feel represented. Some of them are also disappointed by the political system. They feel disaffected, and therefore vote for a party that says it wants to clean things up. The governing CDU party is at a loss. They're squeezed between the AfD and BSW without a real government option. A surprisingly large number of young people also voted for the AfD and BSW. Viele Junge Menschen wählten AfD und CDU/CSU Let's take a look at the age group between 16 and 24. In each case, 17% voted CDU and AfD. The Greens lost more than half of their voters in this age group, falling to a mere 10%. 9% voted for the SPD, and 7% for the FDP. Many also voted for the BSW or the European party Volt. Petra Otto and Anton Jany report on their motives. Many young people in Baden-Württemburg have found their Green minister president unconvincing. 23% of them voted for the AfD here in Pforzheim. I think it's because the AfD speaks for the people, especially the young people. They offer a vision for the future. At the very least, they allow us to see that things can't go on like this, like it is now. On TikTok, the AfD was more effective than others. However, researchers agree that this was not the main reason for the big gains. It's not so much the answers they give, but rather the fears they stir up, and with which they play, to make young people feel that they are in good hands here. First-time voters at a vocational school in Stuttgart. Though they say they're unlikely to vote for right-wing parties, almost everyone can understand the general resentment. The whole climate policy, and then the asylum-seeker problem, with too many coming in. I don't know, maybe that makes people feel insecure. At the moment, it almost seems like a trade-off between prosperity in the future or the climate. When young people have to make a decision, they often do so in favour of prosperity. They simply feel that they are not being heard, and so, the young voters are turning their backs on the established parties. Local elections were held in many federal states at the same time as the European elections. The focus was mainly on Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia, where new state parliaments will be elected in autumn. The AfD was the big winner in each case. Although it didn't succeed in getting one of its candidates elected as a district administrator in the run-off elections in Thuringia, it showed itself to be the strongest force almost everywhere in the East. In Brandenburg, the map was almost entirely blue. Only one district went to the CDU. The state capital, Potsdam, went to the SPD. The situation was similar in Saxony, where the AfD was ahead of the CDU everywhere with the exception of Leipzig. Now to the election results in France and the drastic reaction. More than 31% for Marine Le Pen's far-right party, Macron versucht einen Befreiungsschlag and less than half as many for President Macron's party. He dissolved parliament while the vote was still being counted and called for new elections in three weeks' time, before the Olympic Games. That doesn't leave much time for candidate selection and campaigning. Now to Thomas Walde in Paris. Thomas, why did Macron make this tough decision, and what risks does it entail? Macron is trying to make a clean break. He still has three years left in his term, but has discovered that his political room for manoeuvring has narrowed from election to election. He is now relying entirely on the effect known in France as the "republican front", which means that whenever the National Rally party has come close to power, everyone else has joined forces to prevent it. However, this is a risky bet, because if it doesn't work out, we will have to deal with a much more right-wing parliament and a prime minister who has completely different political ideas to Macron. This could lead to political paralysis in France. It is already causing great uncertainty in France, and therefore also in Europe. Thank you for your assessment, Thomas Walde, in Paris. It's not just in France. Far-right parties have gained ground or even become the strongest force in other European countries too. In Austria, for example, the right-wing populist party FPÖ won in a nationwide vote for the first time. In Italy, the right-wing Prime Minister Meloni and her Fratelli d'Italia party was ahead by a wide margin. Sweden was a completely different story. There, the pro-European Social Democrats came out on top in a European election once again. In Poland, pro-Europeans from the liberal-conservative Civic Coalition party led by Prime Minister Tusk were also the strongest force. Let's go to Brussels, and ask Ulf Röller about the expected shift to the right. It has happened. Ulf, what consequences could this have for the content of politics in Brussels? Man will Europa umbauen I think there are two findings from these European elections: Firstly, that the democratic centre still has a majority in the European Parliament. That is also part of the narrative on a day like this. But the second message is that the shift to the right is a real problem for Europe and will make governing and making laws much more difficult. This can be seen, above all, in areas where right-wing nationalists and populists really want to put the pressure on. They want to further tighten up migration. That's the key issue. They want to rebuild Europe as a fortress, so to speak, a barrier where nothing can get in. The conservatives may even help with this. The other issue is environmental policy. That was the big issue in the last legislature. I believe that the right-wing populists will exert massive pressure here. I also believe that this parliament will become less green. The last question is the question of security policy, regarding aid to Ukraine. There are many right-wing nationalists and right-wing populists who often speak of peace, but who will no longer transfer money to Kyiv as a matter of course. I think, therefore, that there will be more pressure there, too. It is possible that the right-wing populists will be quite successful. To sum up, Europe is in a very, very difficult phase and really needs a parliament and an EU that is capable of consensus. However, the right-wing and right-wing nationalists are causing polarisation, meaning that Europe is facing difficult times. Live from Brussels, Ulf Röller. Thank you. There will also be a "ZDF spezial" on the European elections directly after the programme. In addition, you can see where the strongholds of the individual parties are and how your district voted in our "ZDFheute" app. The ruins of Oradour-Sur-Glane, 200 kilometres northeast of Bordeaux. The traces of destruction commemorate a cruel German war crime, Gedenken an SS-Kriegsverbrechen in Frankreich committed exactly 80 years ago. In revenge against partisan attacks, soldiers from the Waffen SS murdered almost all the villagers in a massacre of 643 men, women and children. The French and German presidents met in the ruins today. Anna Feist reports. This is the 80th anniversary of the commemoration, which is more relevant today than ever. On 10 June 1944, the SS division of the Third Reich shot and set fire to children, women and men. Today, for the first time ever on an anniversary, the French and German presidents stood shoulder to shoulder in the ruins. Especially on the day after the European elections, I say: Let us never forget what nationalism and hatred have done in Europe. For Macron, this anniversary has now become the prelude to a 20-day election campaign. He therefore chose his words all the more carefully. In the ashes of Oradour, we need to rekindle the strength of this reconciliation, the lifeblood of our European project, and re-ignite our ever-existing will for freedom, equality and fraternity. One thing is certain: The commemoration of the massacre by the Nazis took centre stage on this day. It was also understood as a warning on the day after Europe's shift to the right. Now for a hard cut in the programme. In sports, Katja, we are officially entering Euros week. It's about to kick off on Friday evening. But someone is missing! -One player is missing. He's ill! After a weekend off, he didn't return to the EC camp in Herzogenaurach. We're talking about Bayern player Aleksandar Pavlović, who has an infection. As a result, only 25 of the 26 players arrived on time for the pre-European Championship training week. The team bus was the first to arrive this morning. Players Jamal Musiala and Marc-André ter Stegen arrived in far more comfort. Niclas Füllkrug was overly punctual, arriving yesterday by train. A few trains were cancelled, so our train was more than twice as full, and I joined a nice school study trip. The team demonstrated great progress at a public training session in the afternoon. 4,000 spectators provided a taste of Euros enthusiasm. It's great that the whole world is watching us again. Up close and personal with their idols, the fans seemed enthused about the start of training in Herzogenaurach. Gesa Felicitas Krause won silver in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the European Athletics Championships in Rome, in her first international race since having a baby. Things also went well for decathlete Niklas Kaul. The first day is usually the weaker of the two, but after three events, he has more points than in his previous World and European Championship titles. He started off with a 100-metre sprint. Kaul's time of 11.34 seconds fell just short of his expectations. Then he achieved 7.44 metres in the long jump, setting a new personal best in the decathlon. He threw the shotput 15.1 metres. 12th place after three events for Kaul, who had a stronger second day. Manuel Eitel was the best German in the overall standings, in fifth place. The Frenchman Makenson Gletty took the lead, followed by Estonian Johannes Erm. Now to tennis pro Alexander Zverev, who was so close to his first Grand Slam victory. However, in the final of the French Open in Paris, the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz had the decisive edge. Zverev was strong in sets two and three, but Alcaraz, now number two in the world, dominated after that, eventually winning in five sets. Better luck at Wimbledon. It was an intense match. -Yes, a great match. Tonight it will be stormy, then rather cool and changeable. Christa Orben has more on the weather in a moment. More information on the results of the European elections at 9:45 PM with Christian Sievers for the "heute journal". We'll continue in a moment with "ZDF spezial". Thanks for your interest, and have a nice evening. WEATHER REPORT Good evening. Be careful, especially in the northwest of the country at the moment. It's getting stormy on the southern side of small but powerful low-pressure system Uliana, just like in the autumn. At the moment, it will hit North Rhine-Westphalia hardest. We'll also see heavy rain interspersed with localised heavy thunderstorms, as here in Lower Saxony. During the course of the night, the low-pressure system will move further northeast. Its cold front will also sweep over us. It will drag along the Alps, bringing some rain and much cooler air. As a result, temperatures will drop to between 5 and 12 degrees tonight. Tomorrow, we're expecting the coolest day of the week with just 12 to 19 degrees. That's about 3 or 4 degrees cooler than normal at this time of year. The "summer cold" sends its regards. It will be very cloudy in the north, with showers and brief thunderstorms and windy conditions. It will be mostly dry in the centre, and there will also be sunny spells, especially in the west. There will be some rain in the Alps. It will remain slightly changeable over the next few days. However, summer temperatures are not on the horizon for now. Temperatures will only start to rise again towards the weekend. Goodbye.