Germany’s AfD has become its own worst enemy
Spectator (UK)MAY 2024
The election results in Thuringia and Saxony are a cause of anxiety for the Social Democrats (SPD) and their coalition allies. However, the AfD must be prevented from gaining any significant political power, as their success is an anomaly. The AfD poses a threat to our countryGermany, undermining the economy and dividing society. It tarnishes our country's reputation. All democratic parties must work together to build stable governments free of right-wing extremism.
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 rulegovern. 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. This is a dangerously autocratic move.
FollowingAnti-establishment the AfD's electoral victories in Thuringia and Saxony, Chancellor Olaf Scholz actively sought the support of other parties toare preventchanging the AfDGerman from gaining political powerlandscape. The conservative CDU has stated it would not rule with the extreme right, making it difficult to form a new government in Thuringia. TheIn 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.
There is a 5% chance the Christian Democratic Union of Germany will announce that it is open to negotiating a coalition with the Alternative for Germany before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.