Germany: Election-eve shift could prevent far-right from winning another state

From Berlin | Population BrandenburgIn Germany, people go to the polls on Sunday (22) for regional elections that will determine the state parliament and its governor. The conflict has been closely watched across the country and, to some extent, around the world, as the far-right Alternative for Germany party, linked to neo-Nazism, Leads voting intentions polls.one Election eve coupHowever, it can prevent extremists from winning.

The AfD’s likely win in Brandenburg heightens the warning signs, as it would be the party’s second victory in less than a month. On September 1, the party scored a historic, frightening victory in Thuringia – the first time a far-right party has won a state election since the Nazi regime. Moreover, the AfD won the second-largest seat in the Saxon parliament on the same day.

Since 2021, the AfD has been under surveillance by Germany’s domestic intelligence service, the BfV, for its attempts to weaken the country’s democratic constitution. The acronym’s main political platform is contained in the speech Combating immigrationEspecially against Muslims, with an explicit defense of the mass expulsion of these immigrants from Germany – a harmful policy known as “re-migration.”

In Brandenburg, the name of the AfD party that could become state governor is Hans Christoph BerndtThe politician maintains clear ties to far-right and neo-Nazi groups. Among them: Identity is BeigongAgency Eye of Prosent And the magazine IntegratedAll of them are classified by the German intelligence as extremist organizations. These groups are known for promoting extreme nationalist, xenophobic and, in many cases, racist ideas. Identity is Beigong Often associated with ideals that echo Nazism.

Berndt publicly defends these links, saying they are a fundamental part of his vision for Germany’s future. Not only does he refuse to distance himself from these groups, he also presents them as partners in what he calls the “fight for Germany.” Among its key proposals are combating immigration and strengthening the “Return Pact” with the idea of Mass deportations And the establishment of asylum centers outside Europe. He is also strongly opposed to the energy transition, and has promised to eliminate the use of renewable energy such as wind and solar. Other promises include dismantling diversity and tolerance policies.

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But the latest polls of voting intentions show that A shift that could prevent the AfD from winningThe Social Democratic Party (SPD), the short name for Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, has made a surprising recovery, and just one day before the Brandenburg elections, It seems technically tied for the top spot. With the myth of right-wing extremists.

According to the latest poll by public broadcaster ZDF, the AfD has 28% of voting intentions, while the SPD has 27%. The Christian Democratic Union, the short name of former Chancellor Angela Merkel, is on 14%, followed by the Wagenknecht Desert Alliance, a new left-wing party with anti-immigration ideas, on 13%. The Greens close the list (Grown diesin German), by 4.5%, and A Esquerda (Link dies) by 4%.

See the numbers from the latest survey:

Even if the AfD wins the elections. It is practically impossible for him to rule Brandenburg.. This is because Germany’s political system is parliamentary. This means that to form a government, a party or coalition needs to win an absolute majority of seats in the state parliament in order to govern. No one wants to form a coalition with the AfD extremists – a situation similar to what was observed in Thuringia. The Social Democratic Party is likely to lead the government.Which should form a coalition with the Christian Democratic Union and the Socialist Workers’ Party.

Since 2013, the state of Brandenburg has ruled. Dietmar WoedeckeFrom the Social Democratic Party, which is running for re-election. In the final weeks of the election campaign, Wojdek has tried to separate his image from that of Chancellor and his supporter Olaf Scholz, who is suffering from a popularity crisis – a factor that may explain his sudden rise in recent opinion polls.

In recent interviews, Woedke has gone all-or-nothing: He has said that if the SPD does not win, he will give up his position as party leader in the state and resign his seat in parliament. However, the SPD politician is optimistic given the latest polls on voting intentions.

“I am absolutely convinced that we will succeed,” Woedke said on Friday (20).

Alternative for Germany, the far-right with neo-Nazi nuances in Germany

Germany is currently ruled by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), in a coalition with the liberals and the democrats, called Die Ampel (the traffic light, because of the translation colors: red, yellow and green), and Germany has been watching a frightening growth in the popularity of the far-right, represented by the Alternative for Germany party.

The party was founded in 2013 and won a seat in the German parliament for the first time in 2017. Today it has 77 MPs, making it the fourth-largest domestic political force.

It is an extremist organization with the most extreme members in Germany. The AfD openly advocates xenophobic, racist, apartheid and violent ideas. The main political program is anti-immigration projects, interspersed with ultra-nationalist rhetoric that refers to Nazism. In fact, several party members have already proven to have connections to neo-Nazi groups and have made statements to this effect.

For example, the German public prosecutor’s office convicted Björn Höcke, a key leader of the AfD, in 2023 for using Nazi language when he said that the country’s immigration policy was “nothing more than the elimination of the German people,” using the Nazi slogan “Alles für Deutschland” (All for Germany). More recently, there was the case of Maximilian Krah, a party leader who attributed crimes to the SS, which led to the party being expelled from its group in the European Parliament.

Since 2021, the AfD has been under surveillance by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, for its attempts to undermine the country’s democratic constitution.

Recent polls show that the AfD already has the support of around 24% of Germans, making it the second most popular party in the country, behind the Christian Democratic Union, the party of former Chancellor Angela Merkel.