Regional elections in Germany: far-right AfD party expected to lead in Thuringia

Regional elections in Germany far right AfD party expected to lead

Two highly anticipated regional elections are taking place this Sunday, September 1st in the eastern part of Germany. In Thuringia and Saxony, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is credited with 30%. And a new force, the Sahra Wagenknecht-BSW Alliance, is expected to make a spectacular breakthrough, with a left-wing economic and social program and conservative theses on immigration.

From our special correspondent in Thuringia,

Björn Höckethe radical leader of the AfD, is hailed as a messiah by his supporters in Thuringia, in the east of theGermanya stronghold where the far-right party is credited with 30% of voting intentions. He exclaims: ” We’re going to make things happen on September 1st ! We can write a page of history ! »

Many voters reject the political system and the government’s policies, they do not feel listened to. However, AfD voters are not losers, as the example of Dieter, a truck driver, shows: ” I’m doing well. I have a job, I have a car and a motorbike, I go on holiday. Financially, everything is fine. »

The statistics confirm this: the real situation in eastern Germany is not bad, even if unemployment is slightly higher than the national average and wages remain lower than in the West. But emotionally, many see themselves as second-class citizens. After reunification, ” LEast Germans suffered major crises with system change, significant deindustrialization, mass unemployment and checkered biographies. “, analyses Christian Herrgott, local Christian Democrat elected official, to explain these voting intentions.

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Thus, fears are expressed in the face of new challenges, of future transformations that bring back traumas and provoke a rejection of changes. Parties that have simple and alternative solutions can be attractive, a phenomenon that explains the decoupling between traditional parties and worried voters: ” This is a big problem, we have lost a lot of voters who have turned to the AfD. », says social democrat Roland Merten, former Secretary of State for Education.

Those people who feel forgotten, especially by the traditional left-wing parties, now have an alternative with the new movement Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht, which wants to meet their needs with social promises and conservative positions on immigration or social issues. Katja Wolf heads the Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht-BSW in Thuringia: ” We have lost the connection with these people. Politics is now only made for gay and vegan cyclists. It is not politically correct, but it reflects the general feeling here. We forget the problems and the left fights on peripheral issues. »

The AfD and the Sahra Wagenknecht-BSW alliance are together credited with 48% of the vote in the latest polls.

Also listen toGermany: “The rise of the AfD is explained by a feeling of downgrading among East Germans”

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