Right-wing tendencies: AfD dominates the political landscape in East Germany

Right-wing tendencies: AfD dominates the political landscape in East Germany

In Germany's current political landscape, the AfD is increasingly emerging as a dominant force, not only in the east but also in the west of the country. According to political scientist Manès Weisskircher, who researches at the TU Dresden, the image of the AfD as a purely East German party is misleading. The influence of the AfD can also be felt in the economically struggling industrial regions of the West, as Weisskircher's analysis points out. Many rural communities in the east, which are suffering from a rapidly declining population, are primarily influenced by the AfD, which is often the only political presence on site, as he emphasized in an interview with APA. In these communities, the other parties are weak and struggling for visibility.

A central aspect of the AfD's rise in East Germany is deep-rooted economic and social problems that have existed since reunification. Weisskircher identifies economic insecurity, a strong rejection of migration and the feeling of many East Germans of being second-class citizens as long-term factors. At the local level, these circumstances mean that the AfD is particularly strong in regions such as Zittau or Hoyerswerda, where the population has declined drastically since the fall of communism and where many women have emigrated.

The AfD’s electoral gains

In the federal election, the AfD won an impressive 32 percent of the vote in the five eastern German states, more than the CDU and SPD combined, which only got 18.7 and 11.6 percent. Weisskircher predicts that the AfD will continue to exist as a strong political force in the federal states of the former GDR. The perception that the AfD, as a fundamental opposition, has no responsibility in government could benefit its voters, as they are unimpressed by accusations of right-wing extremism. The central election motive remains the rejection of migration, which is an ironic twist given the low proportion of migrants in the affected regions, says Weisskircher.

To counter the rise of the AfD, experts like Weisskircher are calling for an improvement in the political output of other parties in order to reduce the AfD's electorate. The challenges for the other political groups are enormous, especially given the existing social and economic crises.

For detailed information and analyzes on these developments and the role of the AfD in East Germany, we refer to the comprehensive study by Weisskircher in his book “The AfD as a New People's Party of the East?” published at De Gruyter and further assessments in an interview Vienna.at.