six million here in lower saxony and vote for those big parties angela merkel seaview and the social democrats and what we've seen here is the kind of very summit hoped for at the national level you see the old parties the big old parties the christian democrats are going to mackerels party and the social democrats have a very tight race here indeed there was a fierce debate between the two top candidates and it's a neck and neck race it's very much back to the future it's a kind of election race we're used to here in germany back from the nineteen eighties so the parties feel more comfortable with yet and yet it's much tighter we simply don't know who's going to make it all right it's a blast from the past or say what kind of implications could the result have for the coalition talks with the national government that begin this week. well those coalition talks in berlin where postponed until this is all over because the big question here is what kind of coalition could be formed here in lower saxony it seems quite evident that a continuation of the social democrat green coalition we've seen h

party here beaten by the social democrats and the c.d.u. until a couple of weeks ago here in lower saxony looked like they could take this state back and like they could actually maintain that lead well that didn't happen and the social democrats now have a new hero after that traumatic experience in the last general elections also we're already hearing from voices here within the c.d.u. which are blaming the german chancellor in part for these bad results here. her message just after those elections that she won but it certainly was not a victory because there were some heavy losses for her c.d.u. party as well while she basically said that she didn't really know what she should have done differently well this certainly didn't help matters here with the christian democrats in lower saxony having said that the issues here were very much regional issues there were the question of education policy that was very high up on the agenda of migration in the migration issue didn't feature that large and stefan via from the social democrats was very

city of five point nine percent i'm up person ever so slightly behind the social democrats who are on twenty seven percent that party of course is led by auster as incumbent chancellor christiane can you can also say they're the much smaller parties like the liberal neo's have five point one percent there's a big losses there for the greens just three point eight percent peter pelters lists the party founded by a former greens lawmaker has four point three percent right now and a party needs at least four percent to secure seats in the australian parliament. all right let's take those results and go straight to vienna where our reporter max hoffman is on the story for us next good to see you we're looking at a future chancellor sebastian courts what can the world expect. we're not entirely sure about that we know he took a tough stance on immigration and the rest of the program was centered around him about his personality as a useful member of the conservatives as somebody who could turn it around maybe because of his youth and he was credible for promising change but not every detai

opposed business few democrats already ruling out going into coalition with the greens and the social democrats it basically gets complicated almost as complicated as it currently is in berlin where of course this signal is being heard very clearly that the christian democrats who did win in the end in those general elections despite suffering losses had a far way down here in the opinion polls where they were leading until just a couple weeks ago to then be beaten by the social democrats who now of course are getting this late boost after their election defeat here in lower saxony having said that it's a bit like comparing apples with pears these were very regional issues here in lower saxony and the state premier a vial here was gaining in popularity as time went by so it's a very different set up here but a clear signal towards ballen. and speaking of berlin thomas where we're sitting here in berlin what does this result mean for the national political scene is this bad news for angela marco it is indeed bad news for under merkel but i think mentioned the key word there my and that key word

do maybe under the influence of what happened in germany through the social democrats and also in other european countries social democracy that has had a hard time now here you have someone who won slightly not as much as the right parties not as much as the austin peoples party or the freedom party but at least he didn't get worse so that's why we have this position where the freedom party is slightly behind the social democrats but i think we shouldn't forget here that this is by far the best result of the right wing populous have ever had in a national election here in austria so no matter their second or third they are clear winners of this election. what is economy is specifically for migration you've been telling us all day how that was a huge issue in this election can we expect dramatically different migration policies. it's hard to imagine how they could dramatically change the migration policy because one of the main goals of course while he was foreign minister was to close one of the routes the western balkans route from syria to germany with the help of other countries he

meanwhile incumbent chancellor christian can leader of the social democrats has become bogged down in internal scandals and accusations against the media something that's only played into the hands of his opponents who have been busy trying to outdo each other on immigration control head to the polls you just mentioned immigration is a big topic here and if you look at the geographical situation of austria it's really no surprise it's in the center or at the end of the big migration routes that lead into the huge european union one of them being of course the western balkans route from syria the other one across the mediterranean up to italy and that's why people here are way very worried about this but that's not the only thing you also have to keep in mind this country has been governor for ten years by a grand coalition between the conservative party and the social democrats the s.p.d. are here and the feeling among many here in australia in vienna is that they really haven't gotten anything done there they don't feel good about this coalition they think they've been meddling along

basically boost for the social democrats who were beaten so badly and of course of the condit martin schultz who still licking his wounds in berlin all right we were looking at exit polls earlier michel that showed the far right a d. with five point five percent of the vote as you know that is enough to enter parliament in local saxony how is that going to change things. well if they make it this is still shaky ground these are the first exit polls coming out i spoke to the party's leader york morrison who's here in hanover tonight and i asked him what his expectation was and his expectation was to be solidly in this regional parliament this is not solid yet they seem to be making it by the skin of the teeth of the interesting aspect of course is also that the left party might not make it and that would deprive the social democrats of a potential coalition partners so once again the electorate here has dealt those who will now have to form a government very difficult set of cards all right let's come back to thomas in the studio for just a second thomas you've been watching and hotly

the social democrat party for example presented a draft bill on immigration front of a year ago that initially the christian democrats and the christian social union rejected it but we'll see what agreements come out of the coalition negotiations or whether he but we'll have to regulate things we have to clearly distinguish between the subsidiary right to asylum to temporary refuge for people fleeing war and regulated legal immigration to germany and that's why this task has been clear for quite some time so far it's failed because of the c.d.u. and c.s.u. but we have to address it now and i'm fairly sure we will succeed it is a missile that is of we always conclude our talk with our three incomplete sentences and request that you finish with the danger that the right wing populist at these voted into the next bundestag as well can't be ruled out could depends on how democratic people act. in the opposition my social democrat party team will have to work hard to avoid remaining in the opposition over a long term and become capable of governing again. until the palin world has fallen i

the social democrats at 26.9%, the freedom party just social democrats at 26.9%, the freedom partyjustd partner is open, he can choose to go back into coalition with the social democrats although that could be difficult because their last coalition collapsed acrimoniously earlier this year. his other choice is to go into coalition with the far right freedom party and some people say that's more likely. particularly because both parties campaigned so strongly against stopping illegal migration here in austria. that could be complicated for sebastian kurz because that kind of coalition would be controversial and it would be a headache for the eu ata and it would be a headache for the eu at a time when nationalist parties are gaining strength in countries like germany and hungary and poland. what might we expect from sebastian kurz as europe's youngest leader? he has voted to slash red tape, he says he has the chance to bring around real change in austria, for more than ten years there has been a grand coalition led by the social democrats and then the conservatives and there has been a s

social democrats it did time it was a social democrats and so substance was not their main issue or the issues came up only in the last phase of the campaign and i promise to date as a sort of democrat so unfortunately for the social democrats just kind of dominated the debate and to get them each to two to cut trying i don't know how to exclude that that would be a government between the people's pockets as well as with a much older than a continuation of the grand coalition which had to be fought just. exchange of bodies so i do not think that knowledge chancellor can remain in coalition the people's party so there's a lot of negotiating to do in the in the next few days i imagine and just talking about the success story i suppose of all the other parties are votes for the conservative people's party on the euro skeptic freedom party are they largely dying to failed migration policies do you think. both parties have seen you make. so i would even say that quits was even harsher than the freedom party in each year so if we will have a coalition between the people's party and the freedo

the social democrats withdrew their support because he'd sent the army into red saxony entering. german national party wanted him out because he ended the passive resistance to france strays him and called for the vote of confidence. the result of the vote is as follows for the strays among government one hundred fifty six members no confidence in the government two hundred thirty one members thank you thank strays a man had been chancellor for just one hundred days president hébert who had been at his side during the crisis criticized his own party the social democrats that's always fun last in consulates. in five guess. i don't write. these months illustrates a man was perhaps the only man to emerge from the weimar republic as a hero of the currency was stabilized but the ruthless but necessary introduction of the antonov. the put and put down i'd like to put my vine my standards those words shoot success in the team but in politics ingratitude is the root cause in the but not the exception i was. the first strays and thought of retiring from politics completely and of course a

social democrats north korea they've also very much against refugees already trying to somehow. to adapt to the voters that they're on the right side and we shouldn't be too optimistic about mccloy i think because if he does not succeed to bring economic growth to france and i think he will not succeed then in the next election he will have an opinion as if this is just you know the this is just the last chance for europe you shouldn't be too. too caffrey about the success in france so the possibility that francis own right wing party the four nasional might in fact come roaring back across reforms are not accepted by the population matthew country it's unclear still what form the next government in austria will take but we could well see this right wing party the freedom party entering a governing coalition led by sebastian courts and his conservative party the people's party if that occurs will mr kurtz really be able to contain the freedom party by essentially adjusting a bit to the right or might it wind up co-opting him rather than the reverse i think he will succeed becaus

party a shift to the left might be the key to the social democrat success. many uncertainties await the s.p.d. one of them is what lies in store for martin schulz many in the party blame him for defeat in the buddhist talk election and three state elections earlier this year. well for more on these political developments are joined in our studio by our political correspondent hans buntay hans the s.p.d. performed horribly with martin schulz as chancellor candidate in last month's a federal elections does the party still have faith in him do they believe that he's the man to turn the party around it looks like it does recriminations have been pretty new to it he still seems to be very much respected in the prata even despite this really resolving defeat in the september elections there will be a cocktail party congress in december and a new leader or a leader will be elected everything is pointing in the direction that he will be really remain as leader that will he will be reelected on the other hand you have to say he clearly is an interim leader the party

its first seats in the bundestag we visited the a valley long considered a stronghold of the social democrats. the city of essen is this politician's home town but since the german election karl-heinz and a social democrat says he doesn't recognize it anymore in the past his party usually won an easy majority but this time just twenty eight percent many of neighbors told him in advance that they were voting for the far right a.f.d. party instead of his. people tell me they come from a family that's always voted s.p.d. but they went with the far right because they felt we needed to wake up we. to win back our voters if we just sit around and wait for four years that's not going to happen. and is it pains to find out how to get his constituents back in his camp at least the blue collar contingent in his neighborhood pub he runs into supporters of the far right that only i would have voted for the f.t. but you know what i threw away. the place i don't even have the nerve to drive to the main station anymore. there's always a. rise in crime rates eleven percent unemployment and a migrant populati

the the the social democrats haven't forgotten how to party just three weeks after their worst election results in modern german history the s.p.d. years back coming out as the strongest party in lower saxony for the first time in nearly twenty years. as a fitting you know this is a great evening for the s.p.d. in lower saxony and for me many thanks to the voters but also to my party members who fought passionately he lied and it came to. it's a remarkable turnaround in the summer of the s.p.d. he was far behind in polling the victory in lower saxony was badly needed after party leader martin schulz his historic defeat in the bonus talk elections. i think you know sing in austin and he does what the social democrats achieved in lower saxony is unique in the history of election campaigns in germany and we're not i mean thankful but we're also very proud and very happy about this great success i think and what the isn't close enough or pretty is pretty bleak candidate band manages conservative c.d.u. party last two percent scoring their lowest results in almost twenty years. he said that

social democrats become very strong as an opposition party after four years. i think that is the hope in europe. melinda: given the fact that concern about immigration in and to auststria in particular are by no means limited concerns. >> sebastian kurz would like to limit the number of refugees admitted 20, a de facto revocation of the country's asylum law, pushing for permanent border checks around austria, a clear break with europe's open borders policy. groups inathetic to poland a and hunry a and their anti-migration policies. that could make a fair distribution of immigrants in the eueuropean unionon moree difficult. kurz and the austrian freedom party see the autocratic vladimir putin mostly as a trade partner, so they want to ease sanctions against russia and allow more popular referendums, possibly on the euro and the eu itself. does the election in austria represent a setback in europe? let me get you to duel it out now. your opening statements indicated rather contradictory views on what this means for the eu going forward. saw the potential for str

that is a third option at least in theory a coalition between the social democrats and the far right this time them already runs the government of one austrian region. well for more let's go to vienna or did obvious class pumpers is standing by class for sebastian kurtz and his conservative people's party the run what the runaway favorite for this election what could the rest of the world expect from a chancellor kurtz. first of all he would be the youngest head of government was in the uk twenty seven even younger kids and provinces around with michael second he built up a movement like mccall didn't out of his old conservative works better in austria and he was very successful giving people the impression given to be a fresh candidate only being thirty one years old for example years already done two terms in government since twenty eleven anyway he will be less. enterprises in austria business taxes and he will be promoting the promoting less refugees coming into the country the country to get big burden of refugees in the last two years as a one historian by reminding that cause

their former coalition partners, the social democrats, announced they were going into opposition.he election was long ridiculed as boring until in its final weeks when the makeup of the german parliament was anyones guess. the vote turned out to be a disaster for the country's second largest party, the social democrats, who had their worst poll showing in post war germany. yet, it was a triumph for the right wing populist party the afd. our reporter visited, essen, a city in western germany and showed us how this long time social democratic stronghold was swiftly ousted by the afd. the city of essen is this politician's hometown. but since the german election, karlheinz endruschat, a social democrat, says he doesn't recognize it. in the past, his party usually won an easy majority. but this time: just 28 percent. many of endruschhat's neighbors told him they were voting for the far-right afd party. >> they said, we come from a family that's always voted spd, but we voted afd because we felt we needed to send a strong signal. we have to win back these voters. if we just sit around

this new position with the it's the same old story when they smell power the social democrats in the people's party always end up colluding go see a movie that's what some. but the social democrats say the real danger is an alliance between the conservatives and the far right populists. they want to right wing austria that will put a stop to that and i'll tell you why we are not impressed we will stand against them. that is a set up sheehan at least in theory a coalition between the social democrats and the far right this time them already runs the government of one austrian region. while the story let's cross to vienna now we're. following that story for us cos good evening sebastian courts and his conservative people's party of a runaway favorites here what can the rest of the world expect from a chancellor courts. story of the government he used to say to be yes i did run him out of the cold a few did seem so to people's property but michael didn't promptly proclaimed in it that well as you can take it. he did it successfully he could be he pressured ok i'm really sorry krauss but

our reporter visited essen a city in western germany and showed us how the long time social democratic stronghold was swiftly ousted by the f.d.a. the city of essen is this politician's home town but since the german election karl-heinz endl shot a social democrat says he doesn't recognize it in the past his party usually won an easy majority but this time just twenty eight percent many of endless shouts neighbors told him they were voting for the far right party. they said we come from a family that's always voted s.p.d. but we voted n.a.f.t. because we felt we needed to send a strong signal. we have to win back these voters if we just sit around another four years that's not going to happen. and who shot is at pains to find out how to get his constituents back in his camp at least in the industrial city of essen even at his neighborhood pub he runs into a f.t. sympathizers. that would have voted for the any of the two but you know what as threw away my ballot paper and that was it. the police don't even dare to get out of card our local radio station although there's two of them. in

this depression with the film and it's the same old story when they smell power the social democrats in the people's party always end up colluding to go see a movie that's what some. but the social democrats say the real danger is an alliance between the conservatives and the far right populists. they want to right wing austria that will put a stop to that and i'll tell you why we are not impressed we will stand against them. that is a sad option at least in theory a coalition between the social democrats and the far right this time to more ready runs the government of one austrian region. to our reporter calls prosperous is on the story and he joins me now on the line from vienna qualifies for being with us sebastian choruses thirty one years old is the runaway favorite to become the next austrian chancellor what can your rest of the world expect from a chancellor court. but if you were is less you're open to more national policies dealing with everything we talk about so we're going to contain the farm and move when i came on i must point did and obviously you convince voters here

islamic the will for change in austria is widespread and strong a series of scandals hammered the social democrats of outgoing chancellor christian can he's now facing a spell in opposition. it's about defending modern diverse and democratic austria that will be needed more than ever in the next five years. yet another surprise came for the greens their vote fell by nearly two thirds making even their presence in the next parliament uncertain. wrangling over the shape of the next coalition can now begin the far rights likely return to governments in wealthy austria will worry a european union already unsettled by brics it and rising extremism. correspondent mark hoffman has been covering those elections for us and joins us now from vienna max the conservatives don't have the majority to govern alone is it clear that they're going to paul a coalition with the right wing freedom party. sébastien courts on sunday night repeatedly said that there are a number of options and mathematically there are there is a number of options but if you look at realistically that it changes because of course one of t

are now just ahead position, but the social democrats are nowjust ahead of the position, but the socialdemocrats are nowjust ahead of the far right freedom party in second place. the social democrats, according to the latest projections, are at 26.9%. the freedom party just latest projections, are at 26.9%. the freedom partyjust behind, at 26%. this means that sebastian kurz‘s choice of a coalition partner is open. he can choose to go back into coalition with the social democrats, although that could be difficult, because their last coalition collapsed acrimoniously earlier this year. his other choice is to go into a coalition with the far right freedom party, and some people say that is the more likely option, particularly because both parties campaigned so strongly against stopping illegal migration here in austria. that could be complicated, though, for mr sekurz, because that kind of coalition would because that kind of coalition would be controversial, and would also be a headache with eu, at a time when nationalist parties are gaining strength in countries like germany, hungary an

he is a member of the european parliament and the social democrats who have just suffered defeat now that the votes are counted worse germany headed. on a nice welcome to a conflict zone and the german election is over and your party's candidate martin showed didn't manage to convince enough voters that he should to be the next german chancellor he failed miserably yes we feared miserably as a party and. we had a swing which was interesting last january where we very close actually same level up at that time your candidate got one hundred percent. from your party i think it was a little bit too optimistic at that time well it was not a question of to be optimistic of us to question if he is convincing the party to be the leader and to run as a translator candidate. their first very the same time during the lender elections nobody wanted him to participate in the campaign. exactly that happened not on the sphere where the decision was taken not to include the federal politics into this i mean how can this be you elect a few months before the federal election and you start and you don'

the social democrats withdrew their support because he'd sent the army into red saxony entering.he german national party wanted him out because he ended the passive resistance to france strays him and called for a vote of confidence. the result of their vote is as follows for the strays among government one hundred fifty six members no confidence in the government two hundred thirty one members thank. strays a man had been chancellor for just one hundred days president hébert who had been at his side during the crisis criticized his own party the social democrats that's always fun last in cuts let's wish dogs missed insects vote and faggots of any fucking other don't write the other. day is a man's illustrates a man was perhaps the only man to emerge from the weimar republic as a hero of the currency was stabilized by the ruthless but necessary introduction of the wanton mind. that the put and put down i'd like to put my weimar standards those words shoot success in. but in politics ingratitude is the root not the exception. but first straight women thought of retiring from polit

that is a third option at least in theory a coalition between the social democrats and the far right this time them already runs the government of one austrian region. where our reporter says all this story and he joins me now on the line from vienna close thanks for being with us sebastian cortes thirty one years old is the runaway favorite to become the next austrian chelsea or what can the west the world expect from a chancellor courts. what if you were less you're open to more national policies dealing with everything we talked about so we're going to complain the fall move when. a moderate must point didn't obviously you convince voters here with her that the pressure proceeded to form a new style info to see the new party at all and it's going to be a more widely but it's the day before though he was part of two government between peoples party and socialist already for seven years in a row he stopped his career seven years ago and the secretary clinton gratian he obviously convinced people he is a new guy on the block all right he's young he's charismatic it sounds like you co

been reports that you have already held behind the scene talks in third place the once mighty social democrat party which is on course for twenty six point three percent after a series of blunders and scandals during its campaign. let's get more now from david chase who's at the people's party h.q. in vienna and david it looks as the coalition horsetrading and talks have already started. it has indeed but at the moment to remember these are projections and the initial projections have already changed they were based on something like forty seven percent of the votes being counted the laces i have. the largest share behind me when you figures came through showing that sebastian and now capture something like thirty one point five percent of the vote so his vote is going up and the other news is that according to the latest count of the social democrats have just overtaken the freedom party on the hard right so a bit early to say exactly how these figures donna pan out with a lot of postal votes as well as some official results coming through the mix of the projections they're trying to get it

in the national assembly the advocates of a republic had a two thirds majority based on the social democratshe left liberals and the catholic center party staffs throws a man and his german people's party mourns the passing of the old days as a result many saw him as yesterday's man. made him feel snubbed could anything from god as cannot this to start over. for the first time women could also vote and stand for election just coming out. of the. strays a man had gone to weimar with mixed feelings to his wife he wrote today was the solemn opening of the german national assembly or rather should have been in my heart when i live in the old days and it hurts to see how everything has changed and that. these feelings were not shared by most. of the deputies in the next six months they created the legal basis for the new state the constitution of the weimar republic the government was no longer responsible to the kaiser but to parliament for the first time in german history sovereignty lay with the people. the new constitution aimed to take up where the failed revolution of eight hundred forty ei