At the beginning of September, the far-right party Alternative for Germany or AfD, won an election in the eastern state of Thuringia. The result marked the far right’s first win, in a state parliament election, since World War Two. In the more populous neighbouring state of Saxony the party came in a close second. Whilst in both states the party has been officially classed as ‘right-wing extremist’, the results nonetheless, signify a sharp rebuke from the voting public towards Germany’s established political forces, including the ruling coalition. The Afd was founded in 2013 as an anti-euro party to challenge the government. It entered the German parliament for the first time in 2017 and now it’s focus has shifted to immigration and Islam. As the country faces federal elections next year, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged mainstream parties to block the AfD from governing in Thuringia by maintaining a so-called firewall against it. But in terms of the voting public, the polls currently suggest the party could also take the most votes in Brandenburg state’s election coming up. So, on this week’s Inquiry we’re asking, Can Germany’s far right win the country? Contributors: Thomas König, Professor Dr. of Political Science, European Politics, University of Mannheim, Germany Dr. Michelle Lynn Kahn, Associate Professor, Modern European History, University of Richmond, VA, USA Christina Zuber, Professor Dr. of German Politics, Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Konstanz, Germany Jörn Fleck, Senior Director of the Europe Centre, The Atlantic Council, Washington DC, USA Presenter: Tanya Beckett Producer: Jill Collins Researcher: Matt Toulson Editor: Tara McDermott Technical Producer: Nicky Edwards Broadcast Co-ordinator: Jacqui Johnson Image Credit: CLEMENS BILAN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
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Welcome to the Inquiry.
I'm Tanya Beckett.
One question, expert witnesses and an answer.
On the 1st of September, two states in the east of Germany returned local election results, which sent shockwaves across Europe, signifying as they did a key triumph for the far right in the state of Thuringia.
Alternative for Germany, also known as afd, came first, winning about a third of the vote, and in neighbouring Saxony it secured slightly less, coming a close second.
The AfD has been embroiled in controversy since it was founded just over a decade ago as a Eurosceptic party.
More recently, it's attracted attention for its pro Russia stance and staunch anti immigration policy.
The election results in Thuringia represented the first victory in the short history of a party which only entered the German parliament for the first time in 2017.
They also delivered a sharp rebuke to Germany's established political forces.
The three parties in the country's ruling coalition secured less than 15% of the vote between them.
Unwelcome it may have been, but surprising it was not.
The country's leader, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, has seen his popularity slide dramatically since national elections three years ago.
This week.
On the inquiry, we're asking can Germany's far right win the country?
Part 1 the roots of the AfD the Alternative for Germany party was founded in 2013 at a time when Europe was still emerging from the aftermath of the global financial crisis.
Germany's then chancellor, Angela Merkel, had been at the center of a fierce battle to keep the bloc's single currency, the euro, intact.
A group of academics wanted a platform to voice their concerns that Germany's membership of the euro was costing too much and delivering too little.