The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) celebrated a historic election result, garnering approximately 19.5-20% of the vote and becoming the second strongest party after the CDU/CSU, which received at least 28.5%. Party leader Alice Weidel declared their achievement, while expressing interest in collaboration with the CDU/CSU, which has been rejected by Friedrich Merz. Despite controversial views, including anti-immigration stances and a tendency to downplay Germany’s Nazi history, the AfD has gained traction, particularly in eastern Germany. Weidel’s attempt to present a more mainstream image has attracted a diverse voter base, challenging traditional political boundaries.
Berlin:
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) celebrated an unprecedented election outcome on Sunday, boosting its ambitions of potentially entering government—a scenario that terrifies many of its critics.
According to exit polls, the anti-immigration party secured between 19.5 and 20 percent of the vote, positioning it as the second strongest party behind the conservative CDU/CSU alliance, led by winner Friedrich Merz, who garnered at least 28.5 percent.
“We have achieved a historic result,” remarked the party’s leading candidate Alice Weidel, 46, to enthusiastic supporters waving the German national flag at an election night gathering in Berlin.
For numerous German citizens and mainstream parties, this result was anticipated but nonetheless shocking, marking a significant moment that challenges the notion that Germany, in its quest to atone for the Holocaust, could remain immune to a resurgence of far-right sentiments.
Weidel emphasized that the party is now “firmly established” in the political landscape, stating they have “never been as strong on a national level before”.
She renewed her calls for collaboration with the CDU/CSU in government, a proposal that Merz has strongly opposed.
The AfD often claims to embody “conservative-libertarian” values and aligns ideologically with US President Donald Trump, whose cabinet members and billionaire supporter Elon Musk have openly endorsed the party.
Weidel forecasted that if the CDU/CSU continued their refusal to collaborate with her party in fulfilling “the will of the people,” the AfD would “surpass” them in the next election, which is anticipated to occur in four years.
– Ultra-conservative platform –
Under Weidel’s leadership, the AfD has aimed to temper some of its more extreme nativist and revisionist rhetoric.
Efforts to downplay Germany’s Nazi and Holocaust history led state security services to monitor the party closely and positioned it as a target of considerable street protests.
During the campaign, Weidel worked to bring the AfD further into the political mainstream, akin to similar efforts by right-wing populist leaders internationally, aided by opportunities to participate in televised debates against other top candidates.
The AfD is loathed by many Germans for its outspoken opposition to irregular migrants, Islam, and multiculturalism.
In the social media-driven culture wars that are increasingly dividing Western liberal democracies, the AfD articulates anti-“woke” perspectives, expresses skepticism about climate change, and shows a tendency to align with Moscow regarding the Ukraine conflict.
Disinformation campaigns linked to Russia have actively promoted pro-AfD positions and narratives.
The party found significant support in vast regions of ex-communist eastern Germany, where nostalgia for the Soviet era coexists with resentment over the region’s economic integration into the wealthier West since 1990, achieving over 30 percent of the vote.
Moreover, in western Germany as well, an increasing number of voters have begun to perceive the AfD’s more radical views as softened, partly due to Weidel’s personal narrative, which contrasts with some of the party’s strict “family values” stance.
Weidel is in a relationship with a Sri Lankan partner, and they are raising two children together in a town just across the border in Switzerland. She is also fluent in Mandarin and has spent several years working in China during her professional career.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)