/ world today news/ Five reasons for the growth of the party’s popularity
Opinion polls in Germany show a steady rise in the popularity of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Nearly 19% of Germans are ready to vote for her. The AfD overtook Germany’s ruling Alliance 90/Greens and Free Democratic Party (FDP) and came second behind the CDU/CSU bloc.
At the same time, there are significant differences in the popularity of the parties in East and West Germany. In the East German states, the AfD is already the strongest party with 32%, even ahead of the CDU with 23%.
The AfD overtook Germany’s ruling Alliance 90/Greens and Free Democratic Party (FDP) to come second behind the CDU/CSU bloc.
AfD leader Tino Hrupala quoted “the uncontrolled migration of hundreds of thousands of people, the gradual expropriation of property due to changing heating options and the peace initiatives to end the Ukrainian conflict through peace negotiations” as reasons for the party’s rise in popularity.
At the beginning of April, the German government, after long debates, passed a law on the heating of buildings. From 1 January 2024, new heating systems in German homes must run on 65% renewable energy sources (RES). Initially, they wanted to oblige everyone to change their gas and oil heating to a new one with renewable energy sources, but then this idea was “for now” abandoned.
The head of the Institute for Social Research and Statistical Analysis (Forsa) Manfred Güllner believes that the reasons for the electoral rise of the AfD are the dissatisfaction of 80% of the surveyed citizens with the government’s policy. The main problem, he says, is the Greens’ proposed heating bill, which too many Germans cannot afford to pay at all.
The observer of the famous television channel n-tv Wolfram Weimer sees five reasonsbecause of which the AfD is getting stronger. The Federal Republic is threatened by the collapse of its political architecture. It’s time to talk openly about the causes of right-wing mass protest, says Weimer.
The first reason
„The protest sentiment is a direct reaction to a government that is perceived as very weak… No matter what survey you look at today, the Scholz government is pathetic.” The Allensbach Institute of Public Opinion indicates the lowest popularity of the ruling party in the history of Germany.
„Discontent has political causes: pressing issues such as inflation, migration and housing shortages, nuclear power plant closures. CDU veteran Wolfgang Bosbach believes that the Scholz government is “more and more removed from people’s everyday concerns”.
The second reason
Many AfD supporters justify their attitude to power with their anger at the insultingly demonstrated green ideology. Resistance to government-sponsored environmentalism also has cultural roots. AfD supporters see the Greens as arrogant “banners”. Buzzwords like “awakening” or “gender madness” they boosted the turn to the right.
The third reason
„There is a growing sickening sense of decline and isolation in Germany. When Germans have to save on sausages for their children, there is a jolt in the minds of the whole nation. Many Germans except the “ecological know-it-alls”, they think that “Germany is failing”. “Bridges are collapsing everywhere, housing is collapsing, roads are in disrepair.
As millions of commuters get stuck in long hours-long traffic jams every day, they have to listen to speed limit debates on the car radio from Berlin. Pharmacies are running out of medicine, industrial companies are leaving the country, postal, rail and air services are difficult to rely on, and Germany is falling down all sorts of international rankings.
The fourth reason
The migration crisis. Hundreds of thousands of new refugees are on their way to Europe. Italy has already declared a state of emergency, and many German municipalities are also sounding the alarm.
„While shipping containers and gyms are being filled with new and new refugees in more and more settlements, no visible solutions to control or regulate the flow of migrants are coming from Berlin.”
„This again opens the door for right-wing populists, because four out of five Germans support the introduction of asylum procedures already at the EU’s external borders.”
The fifth reason
Media censorship. “The mainstream media’s attempt to taboo sensitive topics and stigmatize the right-wing opposition has met with resistance: only 45 percent of Germans feel they can express their opinions freely. This is the lowest since 1953. If half the population now believes that freedom of speech is not guaranteed, the media looks pathetic. Such an assessment also creates the ground for right-wing populism.
In fact, the AfD’s rise in popularity began exactly a week after the start of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. If in January 2023 the AfD was in fourth place in popularity in Germany, today it is ahead of all competitors, with the exception of the CDU/CSU bloc.
AfD leaders Tino Hrupala and Alexander Gauland visited the Russian embassy on May 9, 2023, which caused an explosion of hysteria in the German press.
In his speech at the Russian embassy, Khrupala recalled that last May 9 was a day of common memory when “politicians from all parties represented in the Bundestag took it for granted to participate in the events held on that day.” Khrupala added that “this tradition of dialogue must not perish even in our times of crisis”.
Khrupala had earlier been attacked for paying tribute to the Red Army on the anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad.
In April 2023, Alternative for Germany organized a rally in Nuremberg against arms supplies to Ukraine. “Germany wants peace with all the peoples of Europe, including Ukraine and Russia”Tino Khrupala emphasized in his speech at the rally.
Germany’s ruling circles are alarmed by the AfD’s rapid rise in popularity and appear intent on banning it.
On June 7, the German Institute for Human Rights (DIMR), which is funded by the Bundestag, issued a report stating that the party “actively and systematically pursues its racist and right-wing extremist goals.”
The report states: “The Alternative for Germany has reached such a level of danger to the free democratic order that it can be banned by the Federal Constitutional Court in accordance with Article 21 of the Basic Law… Awareness of the danger that the AfD represents is fundamental to a free democratic order.’
However, if the German authorities decide to ban the AfD, it will only increase the discontent of the citizens.
Bundestag elections are a year and a half away, but the upcoming provincial elections could throw unpleasant surprises at the ruling coalition much sooner.
Translation: ES
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