German Election Betting Sees Greens Surge After Year Of Lockdown

Betting for this year’s German Federal elections has witnessed a dramatic surge for The Greens party after a huge swing in popularity for the centre-left organisation over the past year.

The German Federal elections take place in September this year with ruling Union parties of CDU and CSU expected to win out once again.

Angela Merkel will step down from her position as German Chancellor after 15 years in the post when voters hit the polling booths this autumn.

But there has been a dramatic shift in both the polls and political betting odds in favour of the greens that could severely shake up the Bundestag.

And there is a very real possibility of joint-leaders of The Greens Annalena Baerbock and Robert Habeck leading a collective surge into the heart of German politics.

Greens Odds Tumble

According to the latest German politics opinion polls, The Greens are polling at 21% to become the second-most popular party in the country, behind the CDU/CSU.

Considering the party claimed just 8.9% of the vote at the previous election, this is a huge shift in the political landscape of the country.

The rise comes as faith in the Social Democratic Party drops to 17% in recent polling and has seen The Greens’ odds on winning the election collapse from 22/1 to 13/1.

Bettors are evidently piling in on the party but confidence remains that the CDU/CSU will win the election, with their odds floating around 1/8.

Germany’s Green Revolution

The Alliance 90/The Greens party – to give it its full title – has enjoyed a surge of success in recent months as the country and much of the West wakes up to the dangers of climate change.

It is thought that if they were to gain power in the Bundestag they would “increase Berlin’s focus on environmental policies and higher fiscal spending”.

That would fall in line with other European countries seeking to tackle climate change, although the direct election of a ‘green’ party into the highest seat in office has not yet been witnessed on the continent.

There are also challenges facing the party as the election nears. Concerns over internal disputes with regards to foreign policy could affect the campaign over the summer. The party has also pledged to block the Nord Stream 2 oil pipeline from Russia if they were to win power – a stance that would likely please America but potentially have consequences for EU-Russian relations.

In their draft manifesto titled ‘Germany. Everything is Possible’ the party has pledged to raise the target level of emissions cuts in the country by 2030, end fossil fuel subsidies and phase out coal. Their dedication to developing green technology, transport and infrastructure will also be covered by a €50bn investment pledge.

However, the manifesto also steers clear of ‘extreme’ positions in an effort to capture the centre ground in German politics – something that has been notoriously difficult to grasp down the generations.