AfD strong among young voters: East Germany votes right!

AfD strong among young voters: East Germany votes right!

On Sunday, 10.3 million people in Germany cast their second votes, and the right-wing extremist AfD triumphed especially in the eastern German states. In Thuringia, where the controversial Björn Höcke is at the helm, the AfD received an impressive 38.6 percent. In numerous constituencies, including 150 of 596, the party even scored over 50 percent, demonstrating the extent of its support. The AfD also achieved high vote shares of 37.3 and 37.1 percent in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. While the AfD performed significantly weaker in the west of the Federal Republic, it was able to celebrate considerable success in some former SPD strongholds.

Voter share and polls

The AfD was able to win over younger voters in particular, with one in five voters under the age of 25 voting for the party. This is also reflected in the current survey results: Loud DAWUM The AfD is currently at 20.5 percent, especially in Saxony with 36 percent and Thuringia with 35 percent. This puts the party in a strong position, whereas in Hamburg it only achieved 9.6 percent. This suggests that the AfD was not only able to win a protest election, but that many voters specifically support its positions on migration and European integration, making it a force to be reckoned with in the political system. The Bochum political scientist Oliver Lembcke emphasizes that the AfD's successes in the East could also have an increasing influence in the West.

The election Sunday revealed a clearly divided picture: While the east of the country was almost completely dominated by the AfD, the votes in the west sometimes fell short of expectations. Political observers warn that developments from the eastern German states could have a trend-setting character for Germany's overall policy. The abstentions clearly show that dissatisfaction with the current government party and the traditional parties was crucial to the success of the AfD.