the, the line from berlin is dw new special coverage, the european union. alexa, new parliament will voters putting europe on a path towards the far right. it is 6 pm here in berlin. german transfer all of sholtes has just cast his vote in polling places across the country. and now close, we're expecting 1st projected results any moment. now, numbers that may give us the 1st chance of what voters are thinking and where they want us to go for the next 5 years. the w news is special coverage of the european election starts right now. the

library golf. it's good to have you with this. it is just after 6 pm here in berlin, and polls across germany have now close the ballad. counting is no wonder way to determine what kind of european parliament voters have chosen for the next 5 years . now going into this election, it was clear, the european parliament vote will be a major test for germany's own federal government. led by chancellor o lock shoals, chancellor shelves. the social democrats are expected to see a sharp drop compared to national elections 3 years ago. and the opposition conservatives, they are projected to come in 1st place today. the far right alternative for germany is buying to become the 2nd strongest. pardon. and this is important for the european parliament on germany accounts for 96 of the 720 european parliament seats major number there. we've been speaking to voters here in the german capital

and in frankfort minis, telling us that taking part in these elections today. they consider to be, oh, i think euro and the you only have a chance if they act together and continue to develop because particularly in the current will situation where everyone is actually isolating themselves from each other. i think it's very important to continue to stand up for peace and democracy . it's fun for make it seem like big fine from the u. k. and they pull down to figure repeating union who wrote about, i'm not sure lies, didn't germany so, so it was quite important finding him to say that i'm a member of ohio river. yes. so it was important for me personally to take part in this one for me to send this fix fix mix and lock him. this must be the ship to the right. certainly also plays a role in the fact that you should vote against that. but basically, it's also the opportunity to influence politics, to exert

a direct influence defects and for sending people. it's especially important because we must stand up for democracy in europe. so it's important to vote to preserve democracy. and as what we're saying, germany has more seats in the european union parliament than any other country that mixed or the results that are beginning to come in. that much more important for all of europe. and we are now just getting 1st indications of how germans have voted. let's pull those numbers up for you. as expected. the biggest share of the german vote appears to have gone to the center. right. cd you see issue. the conservatives conservative seem to have improved on their result from 5 years ago. they're showing a gain of about 7 percentage points, and that's a serious game there. but it looks like many of germany's voters have turned their backs on the greens since they entered germany's governing coalition 3 years ago.

and we were looking at a loss of nearly half of their vote chair compared to the last election. take a look right there. the greens was now 12 percent, that is a major loss. and despite scandals at home and in brussels the far right a f d party. they seem to have gained about 5 percent compared to 5 years ago. the a f d now pulling at 16.5 percent. that's according to these 1st exit polls that we've got coming in that just came in as the last minute. all right, let's cross now to our chief political correspondent, dana hodges, and she is joining us from the greens party headquarters here in berlin. nina, let's talk about the preliminary results. it is the opposite of what they were celebrating 5 years ago. yeah, you can say that and there was silence here in the sermon violin when there's

a big screen right behind me as well. so i didn't even less than the latest polls. how to fix it. so the grades were aware that they were probably going to suffer losses, but they were expecting some of the lease. now it's $12.00. now that is a very big compared to 5 years on the topics that the low to consider is important in germany for these european elections while last time. so 5 years ago, people very much aware that climate change was the thing and that needed to be done entirely. and it was number one time around in europe. number one, social security income, the 2nd race in the wild climate protection is only the full top,

picks up the green law. one of the seas, if you will. and the votes as well, which explains hot possibly why they suffer these big losses tonight. leaders in degrees party. how did, how did they explain your thoughts? i know you've been speaking with them. you also speak with voters all the time meet . what did the degrees do, what the degree is not to do that lead to this, this kind of on the well one it is the topics climate change is sort of taking a by the moment because of the rest is ongoing war against ukraine with securing peace on this continent is dean crews. so and the greens don't have that topic as that called competency. but also when it comes to their core competency,

friends and the greens have suffered and credibility when it comes to boats. as if we take the example. for example, of the combustion engines where the here has said that they want to not allow combustion engines of from the 2035. so new cost with combustion engines wouldn't be allowed. and the u. that is something that 69 percent of the demons don't agree with across the board, apart from the green. so the potential is that and these kind of topics is a, is reducing for the, for the greens also, of course the greens are saying that they have been made the coal enemy by conservatives. and as the far right, like so they have tools of campaigns against them where they have been singled out as the one how to use that one. this is a phone call that they are infringing on so it's a mix of topics that, that trying to get there in the littlest brundis out in the list as what this is

going to mean for the chancellor here in germany and his governing coalition in the upcoming elections, the, the regional elections here in germany. i mean that this, this is going to leave a bad taste in people's mountains, isn't it? yes, new the new phenomenon that gentleman by the usually take the election as a way of lead selling the dump that they're doing a bad job in the living. so this is something that i haven't this year around, the results from the greens, the social democrats on the a, c, p u, f o make most of the land. and if you look at polls from recent weeks, it says a very small percentage of people are to be happy with how the government is doing and the 22 percent say that the government is doing it and see the way the

parties are dealing with each other is something that happened with as a loss of financing, as a loss of probably arguing. and this is something where the left so it's not just that the democrats will have to bring it back if they do want to get back to resolve as a federal election next year in the old. yeah. these, these were as exit numbers. certainly a slap in the face for greens across here, particularly here in germany or chief political correspondent, nina hawes or they are at the green party headquarters here in berlin name and will be coming back to you a little bit later throughout the evening. thank you. as far as want to take this now and to our chief political editor mchale accept, there she is at party headquarters for germany's christian democrats, the cd. you mikaela. i, i guess the, the moon there has got to be um, one of the lesion. i mean, these numbers are, yeah, you couldn't have afforded them any better for the conservative. good. you well,

it is. it's like gain and these are the next in them. they have been able to defy the fullest is a further fragmentation of the gym and the political spectrum. at the same time, there was really a moment of silence while everybody was taking in here that the game really wasn't that significant. it's going to be between one and 2 percent. if you take together the concept of cpu and it's just a party, the cus you in bavaria, it's important to count them together. and it's there, it's kind of redefining what winning means. the winning in these european elections means not losing a, from your majority. and are we seeing that the other big tents party, the social democrats, is on the way down the green. so we're on the way up to becoming a big tense policy of loss significantly. and the conservative you see, you see is the one left standing. so not delay sending yet,

but self confidence that they are on the trajectory that could be them. re game a government thing here in germany as well. so we have election next year. so um, yes, they're happy, but they're not accept. it can. well, how much is this boat being seen as a referendum on the chancellor shelves is sooner let the government to meet and do they see this being a test that the government has clearly failed? it clearly has failed this test and is also an acute awareness to you that just the as off soul to manage to win the last no slow elections because the concern of the cd you with mca leaving office at was so we uh, there is a sense here to not get over confidence so that i am holding onto those almost see percentages. it's going to be a big cycle. it's the psychological issue,

whether the conservative seed you see is you blow mattress to suppress there's 30 percent on res remains just just slightly below it here. whether that just means that the co, the soul is exactly that, it's weakens, it has historically no opinion polls here in germany. so yes, this also was a referendum that showed the weakness and public support of this current governing coalition led by the social democrats, including the pro business free democrats and the greens and the killer. help us understand to you, we're talking about the importance of today's vote for a new european union parliament and why that has implications for germany's national government. could today's vote, could it signal a shift in german politics before next year? is general election. we know where years a long time in politics, but i'll talk to us about why this could be a bill. whether that well today

seems that the political center has assisted light the to the rights at the same time. the fact that the fall, right? a if the policy failed to read what it was hoping for, the opinion polls last time it got 11 percent. this time is going to be about 16.5, maybe 17 of call cried from the 20. they were hoping who it shows that mainstream politics post mack, who conservatism already shifted further towards conservative towards the right. in fact is the big win of the night. so the main stream is no longer us on social democrat terrace, free. at the same time, the fall rights rise seems to be exhausted. well below the 20 percentage points nationally. but then we have retail elections in east 3 eastern states where we could see the far right is to become the strong this policy in awesome. but this

was the big national test. our chief political editor, mikhail, the governor there and headquarters for the conservative cd. you here in berlin to kill the thank you. all right, i want to go down to my colleague matthew moore. he is at germany's for white alternative for germany party headquarters here in berlin. matthew talked to me these numbers coming in the a if the so far with about 16 and a half percent of the vote of how's that going down down there were you are well, i'll tell you what the moocher is exotic because i don't think anyone in the written thought that they would get that result after that the nightmare of an election campaign that they had the 2 leading candidates regimen scandals for the last weeks and months on, on frankly tonight they feel like they're the windows 10. i all the, they say that they all the 2nd strongest policy and what the said as the leaders, when the, the results were in august, the leaders of the boxes went on stage 2 to huge g. as what you said was the best

way to send the message that the time when did the time come. flushed and pushing state elections in eastern jeremy later this year. and there certainly be given them a huge gust of wind and receive just the like because i'll just say the last weeks and months of age, say it kind of damage into the policy was going to go back links to chinese buys and russian by nancy is so, so it's, i think the, the media is, is truly friend. yeah. and there were hopes going into this election that the a, if the would have about 20 percent of the vote here in germany, that they didn't get there, the least the stuff where they're getting in these 1st exit polls. but i mean, if you just do the math, if you combine them, let's say with the, uh, the conservatives, for example, you're, you're talking about a huge number compared to the parties that are now in power in this country. so with that in mind, talk to me about where this vote can take the a if the moving forward here in german hit the

f d basically. i just had the cool leader i saw here just saying that he, we don't, we don't know that about surveys the most important survey the for them as the one on election day. i'm gonna say that the voltage stuck with them, despite the scandals, despite all the negative headlines of interest, or tend to be things that they're message, which is, it's all for migration, which is on the, on to you. frankly, the positive ones disrupt you to call them and they said as soon as paul attendance modification, so they see that this is us ultimately of indication that they are striking the right striking the right no, i don't see what we what it does is it says i'm coming to the top chose and the eastern as i say in the eastern jennings election stage, the are coming coming off in september of this year. they're going to be really in a, in a, in a strong position. because when those elections, brent that don't have to stay with this, you'll be just as our producer told me, if they could pull up the graphic on these exit pulled numbers and maybe our

viewers can look at it as we're talking about it. and talk to me a little bit and ask you about the scandals while we're waiting for the graphic to come up. um, that will be a, if these been worried about right. i'll tell you the scandals, the scandals involve brent scandals involve the 2 main tend to explain. you'd have to call them into the elections to people who are not in the room tonight because to be dropped off. frankly, if you have just a statement saying that the badly damaged that the maximum of the inside the main candidates possibly damaged the parts is reputation and the links understand or is this that his process age and degree to be an election and the european parliament research was, has been arrest, sit on suspicion, is franklin jane of the deadly to say, i made some remarks about m. s. s a. so i'm just not being ultimately criminal about when would it be bodily to such an extent that the pain decided to take 2 trips apart, expelled a posse from. that's a good thing. and even if you call them and um and, and then the 2nd,

the candidate is accused of taking money from a russian. they really have tried to spread this information in and you to pay the election. all of this went down like a bucket, sage bought it hasn't detailed voters because in 2019 the se, 11 percent, i know this thing, which is like getting something like 60 percent, which by their standards as you're sure what was all in into the numbers that were getting into it so far. are they for the if the they're giving them and those numbers are now coming up right there. the numbers are giving them hope for regional elections coming up later this year and also for the national elections next year. i mean, if you look at the numbers now they're, we're talking about the 2nd largest political force in the country, matthew, i mean it's that what you're hearing that, i mean, are they, are they getting their motor back? if you will, with these numbers?

well, they're saying that all these attempts speech to be scandals, they, they, they don't have come through with whole choice. and the voters basically are listening to their message on our, on our responding to a while. and alternately, what we're seeing tonight is that a lot of them come seconds. uh and they're literally like coming seconds and i are on the course to when they're gonna store and try and windows 3 cushion to the elections interest in germany. and the through the i would really need your feathers because the 1st ball royal to impart you to win the election of postwar germany and ultimately then the big prizes, mixture of the national elections. and all of this is been the case for them. and it's a huge cause it's a, it's a huge cost of where when the message is matthew moore, at the headquarters here in berlin for the a if the, the alternative for germany party matthew, thank you. and if you're just joining us, we have this is our special coverage of the european election. here's

a recap now on the numbers that we have so far. millions of voters and 21 e u countries have been going to the polls on what is being called super sunday. if predictions are accurate, right, wing parties will make major gates the outcome will shape the policies of the european union for the next 5 years. on issues ranging from migration to climate change to security cooperation, 720 seats are up for grabs. in the european union parliament, we asked voters across europe why they think it's important to take part in today's election. this is what they told us from was it the for me it's a duty to fight because i think we'll have the freedom in out democracies to choose out representatives. so hopefully that's the reason i'm going to box of, of those i knew them the 0 right wing parties openly talking about leaving the,

you know, you pushing it could ok then just for the, for the moment it's just the slogan. but we don't know what political decisions might be taken if that were to happen, the buttons to me. but i think the thing is that it's very important to vote and that everybody should participate. but really, i have many doubts about who to vote for in the selections. it doesn't look really love it about. oh, joining me here. the studio now is the big table is my colleague christine one. mind christine, it's good to see you here. it's going to have you here in berlin or used to seeing you in brussels, that you cover a lot of issues at the european union level. so let's, let's, let's talk about these elections and why they're so important at the level this campaign that we've just seen for the new european parliament. what, what have been the biggest issues for you? right, so you know, talking to, to voters ahead of us. but one of the things that i've noticed in different year

a pin and new member states is just this apathy and, and frustration. what sort of main spring politics people have the feeling that things are not changing. there's also a lot of sort of pessimism among the european people. one of the law stories i did last year was a pull and had come out. the you're a barometer gauging people's, you know, feelings, are you optimistic or pessimistic about the fusion? lot of people that was wanting majority actually reported that feeling pessimistic about the future that had everything to do with the cost of living that people experiencing. they felt that they was just so much in the way of crises around them . we have the war in ukraine and then, you know, sits in so many developments which just making people feel sort of, you know, sort of apathetic skid for the future, nervous, and then not having the sense that things are getting better. so that has a lot to do with what you're seeing in terms of the appeal, new or pay is having the poor you've talked to of on the voters. do they? did they tell you that they feel what they're disconnected from?

what's being decided in brussels or, or strossberg where the european parliament is when they feel like that their votes matter. you know, this is an interesting thing. i mean, we know that in terms of turn off when it comes to european elections it's, it's never all that great. you're right. even. yeah, yeah, this is 50 percent and that's really, you know, use when to go to the blood. and, and we know that when it comes to the bushing, as we heard from our correspondents, this tends to be, these are like many referendum. so people rainy express themselves in terms of how they're feeling about domestic issues. right. my feel of disconnect sometimes, you know, when you speak to people even far away is the thing you talk about, you know, decision instead of being made in brussels, you know, most people don't advocate. most people could even point out who some of these commission is. all right, right. so here's the distance. but then there's also this messaging that far i parties or have been penetrating through and reaching people very effectively. you know, sort of demonizing the institutional, think your opinion almost say i'll problems or because of the european union and we need to get in there and change things. sort of, you know, a departure from the initial point of let's do away with it all together. but to

say for us and that, and we're going to change things in these for these, the part right parties because we are expected to make major gains across europe. they, we just saw the a, if the here and germany so far were the 1st numbers the gains. yes, but not as strong. but they, they could have more to do with domestic implementations that it could be at a new level. but what's, what's the issue that is fueling this move to the right? rent, it's, this is this apathy, right? it's this, this disconnects and, and what, what, what, what the far right parties have done really well as tools to position themselves. not so much is on the far right, but anti establishment. and i think there's an interesting point to be made to the appeal that they have with particularly young people in that demographic, off 182 to 2 to about 25. that's interesting because we know young people off this demographic typically lean towards lift policy, right. right. but the default writes pulling these young people and look at what they're doing and how it's fix that they are on social media. right. catching this demographic where they are. i mean,

they use this because these are more affordable platforms, right? mainstream policies tend to do the traditional, you know, the broad cost in which, which can be expensive, but they also effective on social media. they fit themselves, morris and t, establishment as the change that young people steel is needed on 0 pin concepts and, and more widely, you know, it's, it's the classic populism, right? where they take big issues and office simple answers with no contracts. and so people feel like they really have the opposite and i'm thinking too that it may have been even bigger. i'm forced here in germany because this is an election for, for the 1st time the voting age has been dropped to 16. yeah. so it could be moving for, we've got about 30 seconds. what will this mean for the european parliament for the next 5 years? what do you expect to change? well, let's see, because it's going to get interesting off to the facts, right? because in as much as we're saying, all these 5 parties are making will these games, this political fragmentation among them, especially at the, at the parliamentary level. let's see if they're able to overcome those differences . people think not,

and then they're not quite the force that people would be scared of. right. because what you're going to be with this throughout the evening will be talking with you when we come back on the hear. christy is always good to have you here and we will have more election results for you as they come in throughout the evening of next is monitored effort to watch out in a few months. i'll be back at the top of the hour with our continuing special coverage of the european elections. i hope you can join the

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