Rise of the far right in Germany: how worried should we be? – The Latest
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Why are Germany’s recent state election results being called a ‘disaster’ for Chancellor Friedrich Merz?
This is The Guardian.
The far right is on the march. Nothing can be ruled out at this point, which is quite shocking, especially in Germany, given its
past.
Friedrich Matz has the worst approval ratings of any German chancellor since they've begun measuring such things in this country. That's even worse than Donald Trump's.
From The Guardian's Today In Focus, this is The Latest with me, Lucy Hoth. Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz has suffered a set of really terrible results in local elections over the weekend. Deborah Cole, you're a Berlin correspondent. Quite how devastating are these results?
Well, it's really been, you know, another weekend, another election catastrophe for Friedrich Matz recently. And this month we had three sets of state elections and each one in its own way was terrible news for Friedrich Matz. And He himself called the results from Mecklenburg, western Pomerania up on the Baltic coast. I'll call it Meck-Pom going forward to make
it easier for
everyone, as people do here. Yeah, Meck-Pom, he himself called a disaster. It
was the
first time since the Second World War that the CDU party, this venerable conservative party
that has
traditionally been, you know, one of two parties sort of... putting forward the chancellor, that it fell below the 5% threshold for
seats
in the state parliament. So just, you know, a wipeout.
Yeah, we should say the CDU, of course, the party of Angela Merkel, who was for so long this kind of great, steady stateswoman. So to see her party doing this badly is really quite something.
What factors are driving the surge of the far‑right AfD in states like Mecklenburg‑Western Pomerania?
You make a good point because Meck-Palm was actually where Angela Merkel throughout her political career had her electoral constituency. And Angela Merkel famously being also Friedrich Maatz's sort of arch rival within the CDU party. And so whereas she stayed in power for 16 years, you know, Friedrich Maatz looks like after 16 months in power that he's on the ropes.
Yeah, it certainly seems that way. It was another really strong showing for the Alternative for Deutschland Party, the AfD. People will know them as an anti-immigration, very far right, pro-Kremlin, close to Russia party who have had another set of very, very strong results after a victory two weeks ago in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. What are the reasons, do you think, that people are turning to this party in such numbers?
Well, because we're dealing with regional elections, you know, each state has its own issues, its own candidates, its own flavor. But I think that the direction of travel has become clearer and clearer as time goes on. It's a rejection by a significant part of the German electorate. sort of, you know, the political establishment of politics as usual. And you have, you know, the AFD becoming this kind of collecting pot for the, you know, growing ranks of the disaffected in Germany, people who have just lost faith that the traditional parties are going to be able to solve the problems that are most pressing for them. So, you know, cost of living issues, generally the state of the economy, things like deindustrialization.
And so that has been basically AFD was for a long time, you know, the sort of none of the above choice, a kind of, you know, a vote of protest. And it's increasingly kind of created this culture that, you know, if you don't like the status quo in Germany, you are welcome here. You are welcome to talk about that, especially in the former communist East, where a lot of people feel like they've been treated as second class citizens for the last
three
decades. So, yeah, a lot of issues in play.
Yeah, a lot of very, very complex issues. But we have also seen gains to the left, haven't we? Particularly in Berlin, where you are, people have voted in large numbers for the left wing party.
How are cost‑of‑living pressures and de‑industrialisation fueling voter anger toward traditional parties?
So as you say, moving away from the centre ground and this kind of, you know, the strength of the CDU for so many decades in Germany now. I mean, Frederick Mertz has described these results as a disaster, but he has also vowed to press on. Do you think that's viable, given how bad things are for him?
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
Why are Germany’s recent state election results being called a ‘disaster’ for Chancellor Friedrich Merz?
0:00–2:00
2
What factors are driving the surge of the far‑right AfD in states like Mecklenburg‑Western Pomerania?
2:00–4:20
3
How are cost‑of‑living pressures and de‑industrialisation fueling voter anger toward traditional parties?
4:20–6:17
4
Why did the left‑wing Die Linke achieve strong gains in Berlin while the CDU collapses elsewhere?
6:17–8:07
5
Can Chancellor Merz realistically stay in office despite his record‑low approval ratings?
8:07–9:59
6
Is the ‘Starmer effect’ – personal unpopularity of leaders – a valid explanation for the CDU’s decline?
9:59–11:21
7
What could a wider shift toward far‑right governments mean for Europe’s political stability?
11:21–12:09
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from Today in Focus
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