With a discourse against immigration and war, the AfD is the big winner of the European elections in Germany, but this could turn against itself.
It’s safe to say that the AfD was one of the big winners of the European elections in Germany. The far-right party increased its vote by around 5 per cent, both compared to 2019 and the 2021 general election, making it the second political force in the country (15.9 per cent), behind only the CDU/CSU (30 per cent). In addition, it overtook the Greens (11 per cent among young people) in the youth vote (16-24 year olds) – for the first time, 16-year-olds were included in these elections – and took the lead in this segment with 17 per cent.
The AfD’s run was not without controversy, as the mainstream media orchestrated a campaign that clearly targeted some of its representatives, in particular its front-runner in Brussels, Maximilian Krah. Now, all this could turn against unity at the party’s national congress this weekend.
Scandals fuelled by the press
The first scandal the press linked to the AfD this year was the revelation in January of the secret meeting of some party members and other representatives of the far right, but also of the mainstream CDU, which took place in Potsdam at the end of November 2023 to discuss a ‘master plan for remigration’. This would be a project for the massive expulsion and deportation of immigrants living in Germany.
The immediate consequence was a debate on banning the AfD – strangely, no one thought to discuss banning........