The mood in the German public was dismayed after the European elections in June. The far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, became the country’s second largest European party with 15.9 percent of the vote. The CDU/CSU of the Christian Democrats, which won the election, sent 29 MEPs to Brussels, while the AfD sent 15 representatives – six more than five years ago.
AfD’s victory in votes made the far-right party a mainstream party in one fell swoop, for the first time since World War II. Voting maps show that Germany is further divided into East and West Germany, the legacies of communism and Western democracy, economic winners and losers. The AfD won in all East German states, while the Christian Democrats won in West Germany.
I live north of Berlin in a town called Oranienburg. The distance to the center of Berlin is 30 kilometers, the neighborhood has a lot of people who have moved away from the capital. Here, the AfD got a big election victory: almost a third of the votes, i.e. 28.5 percent, went to the AfD. Looking at neatly cut lawns and quiet streets, it seems difficult to understand why so many neighbors vote for the extreme right.
AfD’s racist language and connections with neo-Nazis are particularly embarrassing for many in Germany, which carries the legacy of the Holocaust. The racially motivated plan by far-right leaders to deport millions of people from Germany, revealed in January, was partly drawn up by leading AfD politicians. Despite the scandals, the values and connections promoted by the party appeal to many Germans, in many places even the majority of citizens.
The state elections in East Germany in the fall will certainly bring new electoral victories for the populists. In light of the current polls, the 2025 parliamentary elections would be a victory party for the Christian Democrats, AfD in the wake. At that time, the country may get its first post-war government, where the extreme right is part of the government coalition.