Published 1 September 2024 at 09.43
Foreign. The German political landscape is changing fundamentally. Ahead of the upcoming state elections, the Alternative for Germany (AFD) has seen a rapid rise in popularity. Now party leader Björn Höcke says he wants his own majority — nothing else is possible.
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Höcke, who is often portrayed as one of Germany's most polarizing politicians, has become a central figure for many who feel dissatisfied with the current political order.
His nationalistic rhetoric and well-balanced views have struck fear into the left, with Britain's The Guardian, a left-wing newspaper, calling him, for example, «the most feared man in German politics».
Höcke's performances attract thousands of listeners, signaling a growing support for the AFD, especially in eastern Germany where economic and social challenges since the fall of the wall have created a breeding ground for dissatisfaction with the country's financial-media and political establishment.
In an interview with the more nuanced newspaper Junge Freiheit, Höcke says that he believes that his party has the opportunity to reach an absolute majority in several constituencies in the future, and that the goal must be precisely an absolute majority.
He is supported by Jörg Urban, who leads Alternative for Germany in Saxony. He tells the same newspaper that even if the AFD wins the election, it will not be enough to form a one-party government in Saxony, and the goal must therefore be to control an absolute majority of votes in the federal state parliament. It is the only way to get the party's policy heard, according to Urban. And it is something that looks increasingly possible.
Parallel with this development, the left-wing politician Sahra Wagenknecht has also made herself heard in the political debate.
Wagenknecht, who was previously a leader in the left-wing party Die Linke, has made headlines with her criticism of Germany's and the EU's support for the war in Ukraine.
She has called for diplomatic solutions and a more nuanced approach to Russia, which has drawn criticism from many quarters and the the usual accusations of playing into Moscow's hands.
Wagenknecht's positions on the Ukraine issue have led to increased polarization within the left, with some supporting her demands for negotiations and a faster path to peace, while others see it as a betrayal of Ukraine and a legitimization of Russia's aggression.
Her criticism of the sanctions against Russia has also found support among those hit hard by the economic fallout, particularly in the energy sector.
The growing split within both the left and the right in Germany now exposes problems the country faces in dealing with both domestic political and international crises.
The upcoming state elections will be crucial to demonstrate the success of the AFD can be converted into real political power, and certainly also how much support Wagenknecht's foreign policy line can get.
For Germany, which for decades has been dominated by an establishment that has practically not accepted any kind of genuine opposition , this is a critical time.
At the same time, the internal debate about the war in Ukraine and its consequences may further polarize German society, making the political future even more uncertain.
The country's political future may now move in a nationalist and authoritarian direction, since Germany after all, Germany is. But the still more or less US-controlled political establishment established after the war may of course also regain control. If so, it would strengthen the incumbent US establishment not only in Germany but also in countries such as Sweden.
The political tension in Germany reflects a broader European dissatisfaction with the multicultural society model foisted on Western European countries in the post-war period. , where an American view of migration, political correctness, nationalism and international conflicts shape the political agenda.
If Germany now puts an end to this order, it will have major consequences not only for the country itself, but also for the whole Europe.