The political landscape in Germany has shifted dramatically following the regional elections in Saxony and Thuringia on September 1, 2024, where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party emerged as a significant victor. The AfD secured 32.8% of the votes in Thuringia and 30.6% in Saxony, marking a pivotal change in voter sentiment.
In addition to the AfD's success, the leftist populist party Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), a splinter from the Left Party, also made notable gains, receiving 11.8% in Saxony and 15.8% in Thuringia. Both parties express opposition to liberal migration and asylum policies and challenge Germany's strong support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
Political analyst Endre Borbáth from the Berlin Social Science Center attributes the rise of these parties to current events, such as tensions within the governing coalition and widespread dissatisfaction with traditional parties. He suggests that new issues, including migration, European integration, and climate change, are driving this transformation.
Historically, Germany's political scene has been dominated by the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), with the Greens entering the Bundestag in 1983. However, recent elections indicate a decline in support for these established parties, as the SPD garnered only 25.7% of the votes in the last general elections.
In response to the electoral results, traditional parties are competing to adopt stricter immigration policies. Borbáth warns that this could inadvertently normalize the AfD's rhetoric. He emphasizes the need for traditional parties to address public concerns without allowing the far-right to dictate the political discourse.
Despite the ongoing crisis of confidence affecting all traditional parties in Germany, Borbáth underscores the importance of their continued role in a representative democracy.
Source: dw.com, Date: 2024-09-19