German chancellor ‘alarmed’ by right-wing election success
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) to be kept out of local government following the party’s success in regional elections at the weekend.
The AfD claimed its first-ever regional election success on Sunday, earning victory in the federal state of Thuringia, according to projections. It also came a close second in Saxony. German authorities have described the party as “far-right” and “extremist.”
“The results … are worrying,” Scholz said in a statement to the media, speaking in his capacity as an MP for the Social Democratic Party (SPD). “Our country cannot and must not get used to this. The AfD is damaging Germany. It is weakening the economy, dividing society and ruining our country’s reputation.”
The conservative opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was the AfD’s main rival in both states, while the SPD and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) – both members of the current ruling “traffic light” coalition, along with the Greens – both finished outside the top three. Instead, left-wing newcomer the BSW, led by MP Sahra Wagenknecht, came third in both elections.
Scholz claimed that while the outcome was “bitter” for his party, the SPD had at least avoided dropping out of state parliament altogether, contrary to some predictions. He also urged “all democratic parties… to form stable governments without right-wing extremists.”
The AfD national co-leader, Tino Chrupalla, insisted that voters in Thuringia had given his party a “clear mandate to govern” their state.
The party’s flagship policy is opposition to immigration, although it is also highly critical of the foreign policy positions adopted by mainstream forces in Germany. Chrupalla has rejected continued costly support for Ukraine against Russia under the Scholz government, and has urged the return of Russian natural gas to bolster German economic growth.
The BSW has likewise criticized Berlin’s antagonism towards Russia and the cost of continued funding for Kiev. This policy overlap has led some Western media outlets to claim that “pro-Russian” parties are set to take over eastern German states, supposedly giving Moscow a foothold similar to the USSR’s during the Cold War.
