Elsa Danneberg (1992-) was a German CDU politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 25 April 2022 to 25 November 2024, preceding Madleen Schroth. Danneberg, a national conservative, formed a controversial alliance with the far-right Alternative for Germany, enabling the AfD to drive much of her legislative agenda and, eventually, to eclipse the CDU as Germany's predominant right-wing party. An economic crisis in 2024 resulted in two major electoral defeats for the CDU that year, the latter relegating the CDU to a humiliating third place and resulting in the SPD regaining power.
Biography[]
Elsa Danneberg was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany in 1992, and she was raised in a middle-class Lutheran family. Danneberg worked as a social worker before becoming an educator and entering politics as a member of the CDU. Elected to the Bundestag as a party-list candidate, she became her party's leader ahead of the 2022 elections. The SPD government's poor response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine resulted in a CDU resurgence, with the CDU winning 29% of the vote and 10/35 seats in the Bundestag, followed by the SPD with 18.83% and 7/35 seats, the AfD with 17.44% and 6/35 seats, Die Grunen with 12.78% and 5/35 seats, the FDP with 12.4% and 4/35 seats, and Die Linke with 9.54% and 3/35 seats. Danneberg won the support of 19 MPs (from her party, the FDP, and AfD) to SPD leader Madleen Schroth's 13 (from the SPD, Left, and Greens), resulting in her assuming the chancellorship on 25 April 2022.
Premiership[]
Danneberg inherited a national budget of €160 million with a weekly increase of €5 million, as well as a very happy population. During Danneberg's premiership, the Bundestag voted 17-13 against a one-child policy, 29-2 to create public housing, 19-6 to ban smoking in public places, 21-6 for a cultural subsidy, 11-9 (with 15 abstentions, including almost the whole CDU) to create highway tolls, 16-15 against legalizing gambling, and 33-0 for environmental education. Also in 2022, CDU lawmaker Anne Homburg was implicated in a corruption scandal, and AfD lawmaker Elias Olinsky defected to Die Linke at the year's end.
On 20 February 2023, new elections were held to the Bundestag. Voters voiced their approval of Danneberg's CDU government and its AfD allies, which had driven much of its legislative agenda. The CDU rose to 29.45% (+.45%) of the vote and 10/35 seats, the AfD rose to 22.94% (+5.5%) and 8/35 seats (+2 seats), the SPD fell to 18.32% (-.51%) and 6/35 seats (-1 seat), the Greens fell to 10.47% (-2.31%) and 4/35 seats (-1 seat), the FDP fell to 9.81% (-2.59%) and 4/35 seats, and the Left fell to 9.02% (-.52%) and 3/35 seats. Female AfD candidates Sara Riegel, Mendy Nickel, and Rebekka Stabler picked up seats from the SPD, Greens, and Left in a poor election year for the left, putting the AfD in a position to vie for the chancellorship. Ultimately, Danneberg was re-elected with the support of 22 MPs to AfD leader Steffen Unterberger's 11, as the leftist parties refused to help empower the AfD.
During Danneberg's second premiership, the Bundestag voted 15-11 against setting a 10% electoral threshold, 26-6 to establish a pension program, 18-7 to maintain the public smoking ban, 21-6 to keep the income tax, 16-11 against a one-child party, 12-11 to keep highway tolls, 23-5 against universal basic income, 18-10 to create an organ donation program, 16-11 for maternity leave, 17-10 for an immigration ban (proposed by CDU lawmaker Lulu Abs and backed by the AfD, CDU, and SPD), 21-9 to keep environmental education, 21-8 to remain in the European Union, 17-13 for a driving license program, 24-8 for vehicle emission limits, and 32-1 to protect plant varieties.
On 1 January 2024, new elections were held to the Bundestag. Economic downturn resulted in a drop in the CDU's popularity and a boost in conservative support for the AfD, which took the CDU's place as Germany's largest party. The AfD rose to 28.71% (+5.77%) and 10/35 seats (+2 seats), while the CDU fell to 23.97% (-5.48%) and 8/35 seats (-2 seats), the SPD rose to 20.07% (+1.75%) and 7/35 seats (+1 seat), Die Linke rose to 10.17% (+1.15%) and 4/35 seats (+1 seat), Die Grunen fell to 8.65% (-1.82%) and 3/35 seats (-1 seat), and the FDP fell to 8.44% (-1.37%) and 3/35 seats (-1 seat). Election observers noted the rising polarization of German politics as gains were made on both the far-left and far-right, while the decline of the CDU and FDP marked a decline in support for centrism. Once again, Danneberg was re-elected with the support of 21 MPs to the AfD leader Unterberger's 12.
During Danneberg's third term, the Bundestag voted 19-7 to create a national football league. On 18 March 2024, the AfD launched ten weeks of strikes in a bid to further sabotage the crumbling economy, aiming to take advantage of Germany's economic woes to come into power; Unterberger secretly plotted to cultivate an alliance with Die Linke to radicalize German politics. These strikes, combined with CDU lawmaker Lulu Abs' corruption scandal, damaged the popularity and stability of Danneberg's government. The Bundestag voted 27-2 to approve a dog license program, 27-3 for a pollution tax, 18-5 for a school bus tax, 16-15 against funding a postal service, 32-1 to legalize gambling, 26-3 to approve a travel visa, 14-12 to abolish maternity leave, 20-6 against drug liberalization, 16-12 to keep environmental education, and 22-5 to approve bank secrecy.
On 11 November 2024, new elections were held to the Bundestag. The CDU suffered a calamitous electoral defeat thanks to the economic crisis; by then, the economy had sunk to a deficit of €87 million. The AfD rose to 29.12% (+.41%) and 10/35 seats, the SPD rose to 20.57% (+.5%) and 7/35 seats, the CDU fell to 17.64% (-6.33%) and 6/35 seats (-2 seats), Die Linke rose to 13.78% (+3.61%) and 5/35 seats (+1 seat), Die Grunen rose to 9.89% (+1.24%) and 4/35 seats (+1 seat), and the FDP rose to 9% (+.56%) and 3/35 seats. The progressive left increased its support to the detriment of the CDU, and the AfD was disappointed in its failure to capitalize off of the loss of its conservative allies. In the ensuing 25 November 2024 elections, SPD leader Madleen Schroth won the support of 20 MPs (SPD, Die Linke, Grunen, and FDP) to Unterberger's 13 (AfD and CDU), and the SPD returned to government.