Far-Right Surge Shakes Germany as State Elections Loom

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Germany stands on the brink of a political upheaval as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party inches closer to winning the most votes in state elections, a prospect that hasn’t occurred since the Nazi era. For many in Germany, the AfD’s rise feels like a haunting echo of the past, but for others, especially in the eastern regions, the party symbolizes a chance for change.

 

 

The political atmosphere in Germany has been growing increasingly tense, and the upcoming state elections in Thuringia and Saxony could mark a boiling point. In Thuringia, during a recent visit by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, tensions were palpable. A small group in the crowd hurled insults, calling Scholz a “Liar!” while chants of “Volksverräter,” meaning “traitor of the people”—a phrase with deeply troubling Nazi associations—punctuated the atmosphere. Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, alongside its Green and Liberal coalition partners, is faring so poorly in Thuringia that they may not secure a single seat in the state parliament. Meanwhile, the AfD is leading in the polls, and in neighboring Saxony, it is neck and neck with the conservative CDU.

 

 

A recent knife attack, allegedly carried out by a Syrian asylum seeker and suspected Islamist, which resulted in the deaths of three people, has intensified public anger about migration policies. The government’s hasty response included the announcement of tougher asylum and knife crime laws, but these measures are unlikely to quell the broader discontent among AfD supporters, who feel their grievances go beyond immigration issues. They also express frustration with what they view as extreme green policies, government interference, and controversial military support for Ukraine.

 

 

In eastern Germany, these concerns are compounded by long-standing feelings of neglect and resentment dating back to reunification. Many in the east feel that their region has been overlooked, struggling with weaker industries, lower wages, and pension inequalities compared to the west. Sixteen-year-old Constantin, who commutes on his old East German Simson S50 moped, captures this sentiment: “The east and the west, it’s true it’s connected now. It’s one Germany. But we see, in the difference, it’s big.” His words echo the frustration of many in the former communist GDR who feel marginalized.

 

Constantin and many of his peers strongly support the AfD and dismiss accusations of extremism against the party. Despite investigations linking the AfD to extremist networks, its supporters often claim that both the media and state intelligence agencies are biased against them. In Thuringia, the AfD is officially classified as right-wing extremist, and its leader, Björn Höcke, was recently fined for allegedly using a Nazi slogan, though he denies doing so intentionally. For many easterners, who recall the oppressive surveillance of the Stasi during the communist era, there is a deeply rooted suspicion of state interference.

 

Vivien Rottstedt, a 31-year-old lawyer and AfD candidate in Thuringia, believes that the restrictive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic and what she perceives as enforced “politically correct” viewpoints have only deepened public mistrust. “The people who live here have already experienced what it is like when the government starts to interfere too much,” she says, sheltering from the sun under a campaign umbrella. “People from eastern Germany know exactly what it’s like when you’re no longer allowed to express your own opinion.”

 

Amid this political upheaval, another insurgent party, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), has also surged in the polls, ranking third in Thuringia. Led by former communist Sahra Wagenknecht, the BSW blends cultural conservatism with left-wing economic policies. However, it is the AfD that poses the greatest challenge, with a strong likelihood of securing the most votes in Thuringia, Saxony, and later this month in Brandenburg. Although the AfD is unlikely to gain power due to other parties’ efforts to unite against it, its growing popularity underscores the severe challenges facing Chancellor Scholz and his troubled coalition.

 

The upcoming elections are more than just regional contests—they are a crucial barometer of public opinion as Germany approaches its federal elections, where the chances of the current coalition’s survival appear increasingly slim. The CDU, under Friedrich Merz, looks poised to challenge for the chancellery, adopting a more right-leaning stance in a bid to counter the AfD’s growing influence.

 

Credit: BBC 2024-08-31

 

 

 

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[JonnyF]

When the left fails so spectacularly people will naturally start looking right.

 

Ideology can only blind you to reality for so long. 

 

One can only hope that the political and economic problems to the EU's powerhouse Germany doesn't cause too may problems for the faceless unelected technocrats running the EU's failing federalist leftist project. 

[riclag]

3 hours ago, JonnyF said:

When the left fails so spectacularly people will naturally start looking right.

 

Ideology can only blind you to reality for so long. 

 

One can only hope that the political and economic problems to the EU's powerhouse Germany doesn't cause too may problems for the faceless unelected technocrats running the EU's failing federalist leftist project. 

Chaos follows the left every where