There are conversations and insights related to the moment
Right or left: How does the AfD party get their kicks? What does it tell us about a young Syrian man in Thuringia?
The country will be moving to the right in the next election. That will mean stricter immigration rules and a bigger focus on growing Germany’s stagnant economy. This is a trend we’re seeing in other parts of Europe, too, namely France, where a strong showing by a right-wing party there has yet to produce a new government.
The German government placed the AfD under domestic scrutiny because of its threat to the country’s constitution. The party won the most seats in Thringen with 32% of the vote and the most seats in Saxony with 30% of the vote.
German voters are becoming increasingly frustrated by a wave of migrants arriving in the country in recent years, especially now that Germany’s economy has stagnated.
This frustration peaked last week when a Syrian man stabbed to death three people and injured several others at a festival in the western German city of Solingen.
After the attack, it was discovered that the man was supposed to have been deported months ago, and it led to growing anger about Germany’s immigration system.
Still, the nationalist, Russia-friendly party could end up with enough seats in both states to block decisions requiring a two-thirds vote, such as the appointment of judges and top security officials.
The Sahra Wageknecht Alliance (BSW), a party centered on a popular former communist party politician, won more than 15% of seats in Thüringen and more than 11% of seats in Saxony’s parliament, just eight months after the party was founded.
There is more than one reason why the social democrats, the Green Party, and the FDP party suffered losses in these state elections: they have become unpopular with voters.
The West is the same country in eastern Germany, so that makes that sense even stronger. Thuringia was one of the states most devastated by the collapse of industries that followed the reunification of Germany, and though its economy has rebounded somewhat, it still suffers from a westward exodus, especially of young women. The AfD party successfully targeted young men with messages like: “Real men stand on the far right. Real men are patriots. That’s the way to find a girlfriend!”
One immediate question is what the results might mean for Germany’s critical support for Ukraine. Though at opposite ends of the political spectrum, AfD and B.S.W. have almost indistinguishable positions on the resentments they feed on, including immigration and Ukraine. Both support Russia and do not support Ukrainians. German foreign policy is not likely to change because of the federal government. A signal has been sent.
The immediate problem will be how to form governments in the two states. B.S.W., like every other party, has declared that it will not join in any coalition with AfD, so the center-right Christian Democratic Union, the only mainstream party to make a respectable showing in either state, will probably have to try to form coalition governments with B.S.W. and other left-wing parties. It won’t be easy.
