The national-oriented Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is likely to take the first place in at least one of two elections in the eastern states, according to Reuters.
That would increase pressure on Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s federal coalition on the economy, immigration, and support for Ukraine. A victory would be the first time such a party has won the most seats in the German state parliament since World War II. Its strength will complicate coalition building and could allow it to block constitutional changes and the appointment of some judges.
The AfD gains 30 per cent of the vote in Thuringia, almost 10 points ahead of the second-placed conservatives, and shares about 30-32 per cent in Saxony. The recently formed Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) is likely to come third in both states.
Migration has come under the spotlight following a stabbing incident in the western city of Solingen a week ago. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said at an election event on Wednesday in Dresden:
We want to end the failure of the state, the loss of control. That can only be done through a sustainable change in migration and asylum policy.
Thomas Leser, who was in the audience at the BSW rally in Suhl in Thuringia, stated that “everything has gone wrong with the established parties.” Wagenknecht also said:
I’m also not happy when a party becomes strong in which there really are right-wing extremists and Nazis. But who is responsible for the fact that so many people in our country vote for such a party out of anger and despair? It’s the politicians who have been ruling over people’s heads for years.
Both AfD and BSW, which together win 40-50% of the vote in Thuringia and Saxony, oppose arming Ukraine, arguing that Kyiv should make peace with Moscow. Although the AfD is only gaining 7-9%, it has a good chance of rising in the rankings, especially as Scholz’s coalition has slipped to 15-16%.
