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Conservatives poised to win German election but far-right AfD doubles support
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 23 Feb 2025
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Nazis won’t be part of the government after this result.
The conservatives have stated before the election that they won’t form a coalition with the far right AfD, the green party or the left party. But with this result, they have a majority with the social democrats alone.
This will be a stable, centrist, boring government, typically German. Too little progress, but no catastrophe, and no threat to EU democracy, nor to international obligations or support for Ukraine. Neither party are Putin bootlickers either.
In the opposition, the greens and the left combined have more seats than the AfD.
And 84% turnout is the highest since 1987!!!
I agree, but the fear is that a government which doesn't improve things at a rate greater than the rate at which things get worse for the bottom half will result in a greater swing towards populism.
I disagree with that assertion.
While not in power, the conservatives have shifted their position to what was considered to be the far right only a few years ago. For example, one of their main messages during their campaign was to close Germany‘s borders for refugees, a position that was only supported by the far-right AfD beforehand (and which is violating EU law).
Their main target during the lead-up to this election wasn‘t the far-right, it was the green and left-wing parties. They ranted against renewable energy, taxes on gas, the legalization of Cannabis and such, instead of fighting against the rising far-right extremists.
Friedrich Merz, the conservative’s candidate and likely future chancellor, is an opportunist. If he expects to win something from the talking points of the right-wing extremists, he has absolutely no issues embracing them. He’s very, very different from Angela Merkel.
He already voted with the AfD against the other democratic parties a few weeks ago, which he explicitly ruled out only two months earlier. I have no reason to believe him, if he says he won‘t cooperate with them again.
Let's hope Germans can stop the march of Nazis. This side of Atlantic is just about lost.
Yep, it's not a perfect result (that would've been AfD polling 0%) but its one that will definitely exclude the far-right and I suspect lead to a Europe united in their defence of Ukraine.