Slutsky: German election results signal overall crisis in Europe

The outcome of Sunday’s elections to the lower house of German Bundestag, was predictable, the chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the lower house of the Russian parliament Leonid Slutsky said.

"The outcome of elections to Germany’s Bundestag was very predictable - both the victory of Angela Merkel’s CDU/CSU bloc and the election to the parliament of the right-wing Alternative for Germany party. The latter was not a sensation for me personally, although the AfD leaders call their result an earthquake for Germany," Slutsky said.

The polls signal the overall crisis in Europe linked to the social and economic situation and the problems arising from the unprecedented migrant flows. "The Alternative for Germany is a counterpart for France’s National Front, which against this background received its highest percentage in the party’s history at the elections in the Fifth Republic," TASS cited him as saying.

He noted that Europe is searching for "a new idea that may return the freedom of choice for Europeans and independence from policy of the big overseas brother".

The lawmaker voiced hope that "this German parliament will work constructively and without any contradictions." "For our part, the State Duma will try to boost cooperation with the Bundestag and look for new approaches for cooperation," he stressed.