In Germany, the further rise of the far right was expected - every poll had predicted as much. What was not expected, however, was that revelations of alleged corruption and involvement of the Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) with the Russian and Chinese governments would apparently matter so little to its voters.
Though the resulting gains - the AfD jumped to 16% from 11% in 2019 - were overall more modest than looked probable in the spring, across east Germany the far right came out ahead of all other parties.
When asked in a TV poll whether their vote was mainly a protest against the red-green-liberal government or out of affiliation with the AfD's core beliefs, a large majority opted for the latter.
The two issues that seem to have driven the further rise of the far right - migration and the rejection of the green agenda - stand in uneasy connection. It seems unpalatable to many people that the German Greens suggest we can stop the Earth from further warming, but it is impossible for us to exercise control over who enters the country.
[
add
]
[
|
|
...
]