After the state elections in Thuringia and Saxony, concern is growing about the shift to the right in society. Dresden political scientist Hans Vorländer sees the AfD’s continued rise as a threat to democracy. The party, which is classified as right-wing extremist in Saxony and Thuringia, received more than 30 percent of the vote in both states in the state elections on Sunday.
The results showed that the AfD had been able to build up sustainable strength, Vorländer told the Evangelical Press Service (epd) in Dresden. The fact that the gap between the AfD and the CDU in Saxony is so small is somewhat surprising, however.
Saxony: CDU narrowly ahead of AfD
According to the preliminary election results for Saxony, the CDU is just ahead of the AfD with 31.9 percent, with 30.6 percent. The Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) coalition, which was running for the first time, received 11.8 percent of the vote. The SPD received 7.3 percent, the Greens 5.1 percent. The Left Party received 4.5 percent and is only returning to the Saxon state parliament because it won two direct mandates. The Free Voters have one seat thanks to a direct mandate.
In Thuringia, the AfD won the state election by a clear margin with 32.8 percent, ahead of the CDU with 23.6 percent. The BSW won 15.8 percent.
Thuringia: AfD strongest party
Numerous civil society organizations were appalled and at the same time concerned about the growing support for the AfD. The Association of Lusatian Sorbs declared: The election result was “historically explosive and fills the Sorbs and their umbrella organization with great concern for the future of the region, Germany and Europe.” The high number of votes for right-wing extremist and populist parties is “a serious challenge for our democratic society.”
The President of the Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, told the “Bild” newspaper (Monday) that the free and open society in Germany was in danger. He compared the AfD’s results to a punch in a boxing match: “Germany is reeling.” Schuster expressed concern that more and more people were voting for the AfD out of political conviction.
President of the Central Council in Bild: »Germany is staggering«
The chairwoman of the Saxony regional association of Jewish communities, Nora Goldenbogen, also expressed concern. Right-wing extremist positions have been entrenched in society and in everyday life for years.
“We must be careful that this trend does not continue,” she said, warning against further radicalization. “We are not afraid, we have great fears,” said Goldenbogen. Democratic forces must succeed in uniting across political and personal interests.
The Protestant regional bishop Tobias Bilz and the bishop of the diocese of Dresden-Meissen, Heinrich Timmerevers, called for a willingness to talk and compromise and promoted “a new way of dealing with each other”. The Protestant regional bishop of Central Germany, Friedrich Kramer, encouraged politicians in Thuringia to pursue new ways of working together after the state elections. epd
