Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, has implored mainstream political parties to exclude “rightwing extremists” following initial results of a state election in which the far-right party, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) was victorious. These results highlight a growing level of dissatisfaction among voters in the former communist east with Germany’s prevalent political groups. The AfD ascended to first place in Thuringia – securing 32.8% of votes, and secured second position in Saxony with a vote share of 30.6%, as per provisional outcomes.
Scholz expressed deep concern over these outcomes, branding them as “worrisome” and “disheartening”. He stated, “We cannot and must not allow this to become normal. The AfD is causing harm to Germany – it is undermining our economy, creating divisions in society and tarnishing the reputation of our nation.” However, he finds some relief that his centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) did not leave a state parliament for the first time as was feared.
Much like in the United States, each of Germany’s 16 states wields significant powers. Although the federal government supervises foreign and defence matters, the state governments play a significant role in legislating policies ranging from education and healthcare to law enforcement. Each state has its own parliament and coalition administrations.
The triumph of the AfD has put Germany’s primary opposition party in a difficult position and they need to navigate a complex political landscape to govern two eastern regions without involving the far-right party.
The AfD, under the leadership of Björn Höcke, one of its most extreme right figureheads, became the first far-right party to win a state election in postwar Germany in Thuringia on Sunday. In Saxony, they were narrowly beaten by the mainstream conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), currently leading the national opposition.
A combination of deep dissatisfaction with a national government known for squabbling, inflation and a sluggish economy, anti-immigration sentiment, and scepticism towards German military support for Ukraine are some factors that have led to the rising support for populist parties in the former communist east, which are less affluent than western Germany.
Last Sunday’s second major victory was marked by a newly established party spawned by a significant figure from the left. This integral party will likely play a crucial role in establishing state authorities as there is a prevailing disinclination to govern alongside AfD. The ruling parties, yet again, had a severe setback, further compounding their poor showing in the June European Parliament election under the stewardship of Mr Scholz’s coalition. It is uncertain how they plan to recover their deficits with the subsequent national polls in Germany slightly more than a year away.
Circumstances could worsen should they suffer further humiliation in another state vote scheduled for September 22nd in Brandenburg, an eastern region. Unlike the pair that voted on Sunday, Brandenburg currently falls under the control of Mr Scholz’s central-left Social Democrats.
AfD now boasts over a third of the seats in the Thuringia state legislature, a capacity that would enable them to obstruct regional constitutional court judge nominations, making the establishment of functional governments strenuous. The eastern stronghold of the party has, since 2016, spurred other groups into creating unusual alliances, Sunday’s results, however, cranked it up a notch.
In Thuringia, even the previously considered unlikely CDU amalgamation, Mr Scholz’s party, and the fresh leftist group, Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, fall short of the majority. To accomplish this, they would need the assistance of The Left Party, with its lineage stemming from East Germany’s communist governance and led the departing state government. However, they have thus far expressed their unwillingness to collaborate.