Since 2015, Alternative for Germany has enjoyed a meteoric rise. A popularity that is profoundly unsettling for the chancellor’s European policies.
Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Germany seemed like a happy island until just a few months ago. Across the rest of Europe, political party systems were being turned upside down by impetuous new forces, anti-establishment and anti-system parties, and movements intent on redefining both their own national politics and European politics in general. But this was not the case in Germany. There was no German-flavoured Marine Le Pen or Nigel Farage, nor even a Pablo Iglesias or Beppe Grillo. From Scandinavia to Greece, Holland to Spain and Austria to France, political party systems have been experiencing genuine earthquakes while the German political system seemed to be tremor-proof. The country’s economic strength appeared to be reflected in a political cohesion more unique than rare.
Germany’s politics took place within a largely depolarized system in which leaders’ discussions were conducted in civil, well-mannered and quiet tones. But all that changed between 2015 and 2016 with the breathtaking rise of Alternative für Deutschland (AfD, Alternative for Germany). The rightwing populist party had previously made inroads into state parliaments in the East in 2014, winning around 10% of statewide votes. But its success appeared to be limited to the East of the country. In the spring of 2015, however, the AfD entered the parliaments of Bremen and Hamburg (both in the West) with 5.5% and 6.1% of the vote, respectively.
If you want to read it all, purchase the entire issue in pdf for just three euro
Since 2015, Alternative for Germany has enjoyed a meteoric rise. A popularity that is profoundly unsettling for the chancellor’s European policies.
