The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has celebrated historic success in North Rhine-Westphalia, the country’s most populous state. They won 14.5 percent of the vote in the most recent election. This is a huge leap of 9.4 percentage points from the previous election. The party’s attractiveness to voters is unmistakably on the upswing. Founded in 2013 by right-wing economists amid the European debt crisis, the AfD has shifted further right over the years, particularly in its opposition to Germany’s 2015 decision to accept a large influx of refugees from the Middle East and Africa.
These results from North Rhine-Westphalia come on the heels of the AfD’s ascendance as an effective, potent political force in eastern Germany. Nationally, it grabbed attention when it emerged as the junior coalition partner after February’s elections. The rapid ascendance of the AfD has flooded the headlines with alarmist accounts. Just months earlier, Germany’s domestic security agency had classified the party as a threat to democracy. The agency denounced the AfD as a racist, anti-Muslim party. Most importantly, it condemned the party for deliberately trying to marginalize specific ethnic and religious groups from society as a whole and discriminate against them.
Political Reactions to AfD’s Success
The electoral rise of the AfD has led many leaders across the political spectrum to react. Hendrik Wust, Premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, admitted that the results “need to give us food for thought.” His dreams are a reflection of a growing fear gripping establishment politicians. They worry about the alternative party’s rising electoral success and what it represents for German democracy.
In the words of political scientist Oliviero Angeli, it indicated a positive development of AfD support, most notably in the western part of Germany, noted Riedel, highlighting the result’s “relative success” for Wust’s party as displayed. This two-sided angle to the election results pieces together a very mixed, complicated, even paradoxical political picture. Traditional parties are struggling to counter the rising tide of far-right populism.
In contrast to these concerns, Tino Chrupalla, co-leader of the AfD, celebrated the results as a “great success,” asserting that the party “is steadily entrenching itself in the West.” His remarks underline the AfD’s ambition to broaden its base and solidify its presence in regions previously dominated by mainstream parties.
Implications for German Society
The AfD’s effects are felt even further beyond the world of electoral politics. The critics point out that the party has incited “irrational fears and hostility” towards minorities. This increase in antagonism poses significant threats to the fabric of German society. The party’s xenophobic and othering rhetoric is used to dehumanize and scapegoat vulnerable populations. This introduces a very real danger, which can erode democratic values and respect for human rights.
Under Chrupalla’s leadership, the AfD has tried to portray itself as a “people’s party,” focusing on the individual responsibility of the German people. “We all bear a great responsibility for Germany,” he stated, reflecting both a populist appeal and a call to unite supporters around nationalistic sentiments. This type of framing resonates deeply with the millions of angry and disillusioned voters. They are desperate for other options that reflect their anti-immigration, anti-diversity sentiment and cultural replacement beliefs.
In this new political environment, things are changing quickly. The mainstream parties have to address the root causes that have led to the AfD boom. Wust raised important issues about the relationship between poverty and migration, and the importance of finding solutions that speak to the things that really worry citizens.
