Right-wing party, AfD, secures significant victories in German elections. What's the next move?
In the political landscape of Germany, 2025, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has emerged as a significant force, challenging the traditional parties. After the elections in Thuringia and Saxony, it's clear that a large share of the electorate feels that the political system no longer works for them.
In an unprecedented move, the AfD topped the polls in Thuringia, marking the first victory for a far-right party in a state election since World War II. The party received almost a third of the vote, nine points ahead of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The AfD's rise is even more pronounced in the former East German states, where it won nearly a third of the vote and a plurality of seats. In Saxony, the AfD came a close second to the CDU.
The AfD's platform combines right-wing populism, national conservatism, and climate change denial, alongside strong anti-immigration policies. Economically, the party leans towards neoliberalism, advocating deregulation and limited state intervention, although small factions favor protectionism. This shift threatens Germany's labor markets, renewable energy transition, and European trade agreements such as Mercosur, causing political and economic uncertainty.
The traditional parties, such as the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democrats (SPD), are facing declining voter loyalty and internal coalition struggles. The CDU/CSU, under Friedrich Merz, focuses on tax cuts, infrastructure investment, and reviving energy-intensive industries, while the SPD, Greens, and FDP grapple with ongoing economic challenges.
The election results are seen as an "emphatic slap around the chops" of the German political establishment. The large chunk of seats the AfD now occupies will force other parties into ideologically garbled coalitions. These coalitions, which may include the populist hard-left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), are likely to produce state governments that are "precision-engineered for chaos."
In response, the mainstream parties are urged to treat the election results with seriousness and to discuss uncomfortable topics to avoid giving the AfD a monopoly. Katja Hoyer, writing in The Guardian, states that the mainstream parties must stop telling voters, especially those in eastern states, that their concerns aren't real. Ignoring or attempting to shut down discussion on these topics effectively gives the AfD a monopoly over those issues.
Sahra Wagenknecht, the BSW's founder, is demanding that any coalitions involving her party reject Olaf Scholz's agreement to station long-range American missiles in Germany from 2026. It's possible to have a constructive debate without plunging into populism, and addressing the concerns of voters is crucial for the future of German politics.
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