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Politics

Scholz Urges Unity Following Far-Right AfD Victory in German State Elections

Monday 02 September 2024 - 11:30

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has issued a stern warning to mainstream political parties, urging them to exclude "rightwing extremists" from power, following preliminary results that show the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) securing a historic victory in state elections. The AfD emerged as the top party in Thuringia with 32.8% of the vote and came in second in Saxony with 30.6%, according to initial figures.

Scholz described the results as "bitter" and "worrying," emphasizing that Germany cannot afford to normalize the AfD's influence. "The AfD is damaging Germany. It is weakening the economy, dividing society, and ruining our country’s reputation," he stated. Despite predictions that his centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) might be ousted from a state parliament for the first time, this did not materialize.

Alice Weidel, the AfD’s co-leader, hailed the results as a "historic success" and a "requiem" for the current coalition in Berlin. The AfD, founded just 11 years ago, has never been part of a state government, but its recent gains have sent shockwaves through the political landscape.

The elections proved disastrous for the three ruling parties in Scholz’s federal government, each scoring single-digit percentage shares of the vote in both states. The results come just a year before Germany's next general election, with high voter turnout at about 74%.

The leftwing but socially conservative Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), led by its charismatic founder, also made significant strides. The BSW's calls for higher taxes on the rich, stricter immigration policies, and an end to military support for Ukraine resonated deeply in the east. The party secured 11.8% in Saxony and 15.8% in Thuringia, making it a potential kingmaker in coalition talks.

Wagenknecht celebrated the BSW's performance, noting it was the "first time in the history of the republic" that a party had achieved such success in state elections on its first attempt.

The conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), currently leading in national polls, is poised to win in Saxony with about 32%, bolstering the position of its national leader, Friedrich Merz, who aims to challenge Scholz in the upcoming general election. In Thuringia, the CDU came in second behind the AfD with 23.6%, and may form an alliance with smaller parties, including the BSW.

Merz has repeatedly stated that the CDU will not work with extremists but has shifted his party's stance rightward, particularly on immigration, since Angela Merkel left office in 2021.

Many eastern voters express growing disillusionment with mainstream politics, more than three decades after national reunification. Structural decline, depopulation, and lagging economic performance have compounded a sense of being second-class citizens.

Professor André Brodocz, a political scientist at the University of Erfurt in Thuringia, noted that the AfD has built a core base in the east that now votes for it out of conviction, not just frustration with other parties.

The AfD spent the final week of its campaign criticizing the government's handling of citizens' needs and leveraging the shock and outrage over the deadly mass stabbing in Solingen, allegedly by a Syrian rejected asylum seeker. The party's co-leader in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, has used banned Nazi slogans and called for a shift in Germany's culture of Holocaust remembrance.

Given the fractured election results, coalition-building in both states could prove challenging. The BSW's rise has been described as a "gamechanger," offering frustrated easterners an alternative to the AfD, which many see as too radical.

Wagenknecht, already gearing up for the 2025 federal elections, has suggested she would drive up the price for joining any coalition, demanding "diplomacy" toward Russia while opposing a recent decision to allow the US to deploy long-range missiles in Germany from 2026.

Scholz's coalition of the centre-left Social Democrats, the ecologist Greens, and the liberal Free Democrats was already on the back foot. Riven by ideological differences and personal rivalries, the government has struggled to implement its main policy initiatives, including revitalizing the economy and promoting electric vehicles.

The Greens’ co-leader, Omid Nouripour, described the coalition in Berlin as a "transitional government" following Merkel's 16 years in power. On Sunday, Nouripour gave a sobering assessment of the election results, saying the breakthrough for the far right "causes many people very deep concern and fear."

The outcome of these state elections underscores the deepening divide between east and west Germany, highlighting the urgent need for mainstream politicians to address the concerns of disillusioned voters effectively.