Episode

Centre punch: Germany’s state-election shocker

Podcast
Economist Podcasts
Published
Sep 21, 2026
Duration seconds
1266
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://shows.acast.com/theintelligencepodcast/episodes/centre-punch-germanys-state-election-shocker
Audio
https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/d556eb54-6160-4c85-95f4-47d9f5216c49/a/theeconomistallaudio/e/6ab0f8597aa361c6128028b9/media.mp3?tk=eyJ0ayI6ImRlZmF1bHQiLCJhZHMiOnRydWUsInNwb25zIjp0cnVlLCJzdGF0dXMiOiJwdWJsaWMifQ==&sig=VTwDH1O3ZFcqbo38sb7bXlfPPbXzEff4DNNRw49R2xs
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/economist-podcasts-921330/episodes/centre-punch-germany-s-state-election-shocker
Markdown
/podcast/economist-podcasts-921330/centre-punch-germany-s-state-election-shocker.md

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Summary

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? Our correspondent looks into why there is so much enthusiasm for African stocks. And what the science says about blue-light exposure and sleep .  Guests and host: Tom Nuttall, Berlin bureau chief Ọrẹ Ogunbiyi, Africa correspondent Sam Wikeley, science correspondent Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence” Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence” Topics covered:  German politics, Friedrich Merz, AfD, Die Linke African stockmarkets, Aliko Dangote sleep science, blue light Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology— subscribe to The Economist . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.