Germany: what do the AfD's election gains mean?
In local elections in Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia the CDU has maintained its leading position, securing 33.3 percent of the vote. The SPD and Greens suffered losses with 22.1 and 13.5 percent respectively, while with 14.5 percent the AfD almost tripled its share compared to the last local elections. Commentators assess the results of this first test of public opinion since February's federal election.
Poor showing for the chancellor
The AfD is gaining ground, La Repubblica notes:
“The real winner of these local elections in Germany's most populous state, the engine behind Made in Germany, is the AfD. This first electoral test for the Merz government has gone badly for the chancellor, who had promised to 'halve' the far right. Tino Chrupalla, chairman of the AfD, was exaltant: 'We're a Volkspartei', a party with roots in every strata of the population. ... Already in the federal elections the far-right group emerged as the strongest party among German workers, having snatched the sceptre of 'workers' party' from the Social Democrats. Now the shift from the SPD to the AfD has been confirmed in Germany's most industrialised region.”
A time for steadfastness
The Süddeutsche Zeitung comments:
“The AfD achieved a state average of 14.5 percent, almost three times higher than in 2020, albeit lower than the party's result in North Rhine-Westphalia in the federal elections six months ago. And that result was already below the AfD's average in western Germany. North Rhine-Westphalia is therefore still not a stronghold of the right-wing populists, even by West German standards. Nevertheless, its success in the election will suffice to make things difficult for other parties to form a majority in many local councils. In some municipalities, the firewall will be put to the test and the AfD will offer its services to the CDU as a majority procurer for individual decisions. Steadfastness is required here.”
More courage for confrontation needed
The NZZ hopes that lessons will be learned:
“The focus must return to the question of whether an argument is right or wrong, not who is making it. ... The courage to argue has given way to a mixture of laziness and cowardice. Those who nevertheless engage in a direct confrontation with AfD representatives, such as the Thuringian state premier Mario Voigt or more recently the Mayor of Tübingen Boris Palmer, don't get any recognition or solidarity from their own political camp. Instead, Voigt and Palmer were criticised for providing a stage for the 'right'. Yet it was only the peace of mind of the indolent that they were disturbing.”