Transatlantic Tuesday: Citrus Coalition: How the Greens and Liberals Captured the Youth Vote

On September 26, German voters went to the polls to elect a new government, following the end of Merkel’s 16 years in power. The election was bound to be filled with surprises, but few expected the Greens and the liberal FDP to capture the youth vote so completely. Together they received 44 percent of the votes of 18-24 year-olds. What explains these two smaller parties’ success with young voters? Which policy issues drove their support?  Are there similar issues motivating the entire youth vote, or should the split in support between the Greens and the FDP be interpreted as a fractured political vision within the younger generation? To discuss these questions and more, we will speak with representatives from the liberal and Green youth organizations, Nemir Ali and Charlotte Unnerstall, as well as Die Zeit journalist, Sara Maria Behbehani, in this month’s edition of #TransatlanticTuesdays 

If you have any questions, please contact Callie Starn at [email protected].