Elections Held Early in MV: Nation Revitalizing Democratic Processes
The recent victories of Democrats in three county runoff elections in the northeast have put a smile on Minister President Manuela Schwesig's face. The "AfD", notorious for their far-right ideologies, failed to make their mark in these counties. In Parchim/Ludwigslust, Schwesig's SPD colleague Stefan Sternberg managed to hold on to his county commissioner position from the first round.
However, declaring the AfD as clear losers may be premature. Despite their defeat, the party managed to become the dominant force in the February federal election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with a whopping 37 percent of the votes. And it's no secret that the normalization of the AfD in the northeast is well underway.
The party's alliances with the CDU to eliminate political opponents from the left and dismantle democracy are commonplace in county councils. Those CDU members who managed to defeat the AfD competition this time around, also played a part in the rightward shift of their own party. They saw emulating the AfD as a means to counter its growing strength. They declared immigration and refugees the biggest problem, instead of focusing on improving healthcare or public transportation.
Whether the shock of the head-to-head race between the incumbent and the AfD competitor in one county or the AfD's first-round victory in another will lead the CDU to rethink remains to be seen. The CDU has historically been a major force in German politics, but their ties with the AfD and their shift to the right have challenged their dominance, particularly in regions like Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Meanwhile, the AfD's success has also impacted other parties like the Left Party (Die Linke), which has seen a resurgence in popularity, especially among young voters. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) has faced challenges from both the AfD and the Left Party, as seen in the competition for constituencies during the recent election.
In regional politics, the AfD's influence can lead to complex alliances and coalitions. While the AfD's national success is notable, its ability to form alliances or normalize its presence in local councils might vary, depending on the historical context and the willingness of mainstream parties to collaborate with them. Detailed information on current alliances and normalization within county councils is not widely available.
- The policy-and-legislation initiatives focusing on migration and war-and-conflicts may witness a shift due to the political influence of the AfD, given their success in local elections and increasing alliances with mainstream parties.
- General-news coverage has been dominated by the rise of the AfD, particularly in war-torn regions or areas with high levels of war-and-conflicts-induced migration, as their influence in policy-and-legislation and alliances with other parties continues to grow.
- Crime-and-justice issues, such as the normalization of far-right extremist groups like the AfD, have been a hot topic in politics, with many national and local policymakers grappling with concerns over the implications of these groups' growing strength and influence on democracy.
