A far-right party is heading for its strongest result yet in Germany's election
BERLIN (AP) — Alternative for Germany appears to be heading for its strongest national election result yet this month and is fielding its first candidate to lead the country. Even though it’s highly unlikely to take a share of power soon, it has become a factor that other politicians can’t ignore and helped shape Germany’s debate on migration.
The far-right party first entered Germany’s national parliament eight years ago on the back of discontent with the arrival of large numbers of migrants in the mid-2010s, and curbing migration remains its signature theme. But the party has proven adept at harnessing discontent with other issues: Germany’s move away from fossil fuels, restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and support for Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly three years ago.
How did it start?
Alternative for Germany, or AfD, was founded in 2013 and initially focused on opposition to bailouts for struggling countries in the eurozone debt crisis — measures that then Chancellor Angela Merkel described as “without alternative.” It was sometimes known as a “party of professors,” a reference to leading figures in the early days, though it already had a strong streak of hard-right, anti-establishment identity.
Over the years, AfD became more radical and repeatedly changed leaders. It was Merkel’s decision in 2015 to allow in large numbers of migrants that supercharged it as a political force, and in the 2017 national election, it won 12.6% of the vote to take seats in the German parliament for the first time.
https://apnews.com/article/germany-far-right-afd-election-migration-weidel-53ed34f57556ad394c53868726d47194
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