Centre punch: Germany’s state-election shocker

The Intelligence from The Economist by The Economist

Sep 21, 202621:06News & Politics

Two more state-election results reveal surging support for both the far-right AfD and the populist-left Die Linke parties. Chancellor Friedrich Merz himself described the outcome as a disaster ; what will it mean for him...

Related Episodes

Continue listening to more episodes from The Intelligence from The Economist.

Saving your bacon: healthy-eating policy evolves

Oct 9, 2026 - 24:42

Decades of messaging have not worked, so governments are trying new ways to get citizens to eat well, fro...

Valley of the shadow of debt: bond-market jitters

Oct 8, 2026 - 21:39

Bond yields across the rich world keep ticking up. We take a global look at where the risks are mounting...

Gilets jeunes? France’s school protests

Oct 7, 2026 - 19:36

What started as a small protest about conditions of a school and of schooling has mushroomed , and tapped...

House call: Spain’s snap election

Oct 6, 2026 - 22:33

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is gambling that anger about housing might solidify his mandate in a snap po...

Here comes the son? Brazil’s election tips rightward

Oct 5, 2026 - 22:41

Flávio Bolsonaro, populist-right son of the imprisoned coup architect Jair, received the most votes in th...

Coffer stop: AI may shrink tax base

Oct 2, 2026 - 26:28

If Artificial Intelligence results in job losses or lower salaries, government revenues will fall. Our co...

Trial and terror: Russia escalates Kyiv campaign

Oct 1, 2026 - 21:40

Russia has embarked on a new campaign to quell Ukraine, focused on supermarkets, playgrounds and other ci...

Cheques and the City: Premier League disgrace

Sep 30, 2026 - 20:52

An independent commission has found Manchester City guilty of breaching over 100 rules. What penalty will...