Germany’s AfD has become its own worst enemy
Spectator (UK)
Scholz urges German parties to exclude far-right as AfD poised for state election victory
Scholz urges German parties to exclude far-right as AfD poised for state election victory
Above: Björn Höcke, lead candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the state of Thuringia, walks between television interviews at the Thuringia State Parliament following the closure of polling stations on September 1,2024. Image copyright: Sean Gallup / Staff / Getty Images News via Getty Images***PLEASE REPLACE WATERMARKED IMAGE***
The Facts
On Monday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged all mainstream democratic parties to try to form stable governments in Thuringia and Saxony without the far-right AfD, to try to keep right-wing extremist away from any political influence.
This followed Sunday's regional election in Thuringia and Saxony, eastern Germany, where exteme right-wing Alternative für Deutchland (AfD) party received 33.5% and 30.5% of the votes respectively.
The Spin
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The AfD is the people's party for Thuringia and the eastern part of the country. The people have given the AfD a strong mandate to rule. Mr. Scholz is now trying to weaken the democratic participation of a large section of the population. Any attempts to block or freeze out the AfD are manifestly undemocratic and should be ignored.
Following the AfD's electoral victories in Thuringia and Saxony, Chancellor Olaf Scholz actively sought the support of other parties to prevent the AfD from gaining political power. The conservative CDU has stated it would not rule with the extreme right, making it difficult to form a new government in Thuringia. The CDU has made it clear that it will not rule from the far right. But in order to keep the far right out, the CDU will require left-wing parties on the left, Die Linke or Sahra Wagenknecht's BSW, to create a government coalition, which is improbable.