With its far-right extremist agenda, the rise of AfD in Eastern Germany is shifting the country’s socio-political landscape. “Alternative für Deutschland” (AfD) has become the first far-right political party to win a state election in Germany since World War II. The recent elections held in Saxony and Thuringia demonstrated the strong popularity of the AfD. The party’s success in the regional elections is an alarming situation for many Germans ahead of the federal elections that will be held in 2025. The AfD is projected to become the strongest party in the eastern state of Thuringia with 32.8% of the votes and to come a close second in Saxony with 30.6% of the votes.
Foundations of AfD
In the aftermath of the 2013 economic recession, right-wing ideologies started gaining a foothold, giving an impetus to establishing the AfD. The party protested in opposing Germany’s efforts to provide economic assistance to southern nations of the European Union. Initially, it focused more on the economy, but later in 2015, it diverted its attention to the refugee crisis, where Germany welcomed more than 1 million refugees from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Capitalizing on the issues of anti-immigration, xenophobia, antisemitism, aid to Ukraine, and anti-LGBTQ, the AfD is gaining country-wide support.
The AfD has gained popularity in East Germany, which has a demographically homogenized population as compared to the diverse community in Western Germany. Many scholars view a less diverse society as more susceptible to extremist views. A famous historian, Ilko Sascha Kuwalczuk, points out the legacy of communist leadership, which had an extremist ideology, in these states as being one of the reasons for the popularity of AfD.
Many of the notable leaders of AfD are accused of being neo-Nazis. While according to some in the German security, the party’s supporters are considered more violent. The domestic intelligence agency counts 40,600 far-right extremists in the country and warns that 14,500 of them are dangerous and could resort to violence.
Core Reasons for the Rise of AfD in Germany
The AfD voters see immigrants as a major threat to their security. They see themselves as 2nd-class citizens of the country, in comparison to the immigrants. Due to global displacement, the war in Ukraine, and instability in northern Africa and the Middle East, Europe has faced an influx of refugees fleeing from troubled areas. The AfD voters believe that the government’s support and assistance to everyone, without discrimination, is unfair to the local population. The party’s manifesto, particularly relating to anti-immigration, has gained attention and support from some parts of the public.
The party’s manifesto, issued in 2016, clearly states the xenophobic and Islamophobic narrative that Islam doesn’t belong to Germany. As an example, East Germany has recorded a large number of violent riots against immigrant Muslims in recent times. Some experts point out that the AfD has adopted an anti-Muslim attitude because of the earlier influx of refugees from the Middle East and their continued coexistence in German society.
As a result of unemployment rising across the country, AfD is convinced that this phenomenon is limited to the eastern states of Germany and hence points to the uncontrolled influx of immigrants as the root cause. High inflation and energy costs have also frustrated the people of East Germany. As Germany is highly dependent on Russia for its energy requirements, the living conditions for average German citizens have worsened due to the economic impact of high energy costs, in the aftermath of the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
Regarding the Russian-Ukraine conflict, the AfD believes that instead of choosing a side and providing arms to Ukraine, Germany should be acting as a mediator between the warring states. The party seeks “a free market economy with a social perspective” largely based on the 1948 model of Ludwig Erhard, the Christian Democrat politician who laid the foundations of Germany’s post-war reconstruction. To this end, the party argues for the reduction of state subsidies and tax ceilings to encourage economic growth.
The AfD has gained a lot of traction from the public discontent using its radical environmental policies. It’s the only major party that supports the denial of climate change phenomena, despite the overwhelming scientific research that supports it. In its party manifesto, the AfD has stated that carbon dioxide is not a harmful substance but rather, a useful part of everyday life. The party opposes the Renewable Energy Act (EEG), accusing it of ruining Germany’s countryside.
The AfD’s manifesto of EU elections rejects the dominance of non-European superpowers in the European region. The party considers the presence of US military on German soil as a threat to its sovereignty. The US had set up one of its biggest air bases in Ramstein during the Cold War, which serves as the key center of US influence. The AfD calls for the withdrawal of the US troops stationed on its soil, especially their nuclear weapons.
The reason behind AfD’s motive is that it demands Germany to have exclusive sovereignty even in terms of protecting its borders. The AfD leaders believe that the US interests are opposed to Germany’s security interests and hence pose a threat to Germany’s sovereignty. The party is not categorically against having NATO and therefore supports a stronger European alliance responsible for the protection of European security. The party proposes to establish a European defense community and achieve military and strategic autonomy with the help of a strong-armed European force to protect European interests.
The manifesto stresses the importance of relations with Russia, claiming that security in Europe is impossible without good relations with Russia. However, it does not contain any pro-Russian rhetoric, that justifies the claims of some leaders of its party, over the annexation of Crimea.
The AfD is vying for political dominance in Eastern Germany and aiming to achieve national power in Berlin. Despite the large popularity of the party and its success in the recent elections, the other mainstream political parties are not ready to form a coalition government with AfD due to its extremely conservative policies.
Conclusion
Marcel Fratzscher, president of the German Institute for Economic Research, is adamant about AfD’s political rise and states, “The AfD in particular stands for an extremely neoliberal economic policy, for protectionism and isolation from Europe, for less immigration of skilled workers and less openness and diversity. Many political scholars consider AfD as a “warning signal for the digital economy.”
The rise in far-right extremism in Germany is an alarming threat to the political stability of the country in specific and to Europe in general. The eurosceptic rhetoric of AfD will ultimately result in greater polarization in the country. That is why the 2025 federal elections will be a turning point in Germany’s role in regional and global politics.
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Ruqayya Yar Muhammad is a fresh graduate of political science from the University of Peshawar and a keen enthusiast of current and international affairs.