German Election 2026

[Halifax Tar]

Looks like the AfD is poised to make changes...

Far-right AfD wins key German state election but falls just short of majority

Alternative für Deutschland surges to victory in Saxony-Anhalt as Friedrich Merz’s CDU slumps to disastrous result

www.theguardian.com

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

Looks like the AfD is poised to make changes...

Far-right AfD wins key German state election but falls just short of majority

Alternative für Deutschland surges to victory in Saxony-Anhalt as Friedrich Merz’s CDU slumps to disastrous result

www.theguardian.com

The changes....

 

[Czech_pivo]

The changes....

View attachment 102126

Former EG state, no surprise they moved this far right.

 

[FJAG]

Two things.

Saxony-Anhalt is a former East German state and has a strong history of far right leanings. They still need to find a coalition partner. Greens? Social Democrats? That said, the doubling of vote strength is nothing to sneeze at.

It's only a state election and not a national one. But there are concerns nationwide with Merz.

All that said maybe this election is the shock Germany needs to rally and reject the Russia friendly AfD or the CDU needs to sort out its act..

 

[Czech_pivo]

Two things.

Saxony-Anhalt is a former East German state and has a strong history of far right leanings. They still need to find a coalition partner. Greens? Social Democrats? That said, the doubling of vote strength is nothing to sneeze at.

It's only a state election and not a national one. But there are concerns nationwide with Merz.

All that said maybe this election is the shock Germany needs to rally and reject the Russia friendly AfD or the CDU needs to sort out its act..

The CDU needs to purge all remaining Russian moles, lovers, whatever, from their party once and for all.

 

[OldSolduer]

They have elections in Germany?

 

[brihard]

Ah well, historically Germany has managed to weather the election of far-right parties pretty calmly. Right?

 

[RangerRay]

Ah well, historically Germany has managed to weather the election of far-right parties pretty calmly. Right?

(my side-eye emoji)

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I take fears of "Far right" with some salt due to how the political landscape changes.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Ah well, historically Germany has managed to weather the election of far-right parties pretty calmly. Right?

Especially in tough economic times?

 

[dapaterson]

Especially in tough economic times?

With an isolationist US government leaning heavily on discredited economic theories.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Political establishments are remarkable the world over for obstinately refusing to give some of the people some of the things they want, instead refusing to give them much of anything. This is how immoderate politicians and parties (eg. Trump in the USA, AfD in Germany, National Party in France) gain strength.

A couple of the things some Germans want is Germany out of the EU and tighter immigration control. The AfD offers both of those. Germany out of the EU is probably a non-starter, but tighter immigration control isn't unreasonable.

People will continue pointing alarmist fingers at the alleged march of fascism/Nazism while doing little that is in their control to take away the fuel.

 

[Kirkhill]

The absolute truth.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Political establishments are remarkable the world over for obstinately refusing to give some of the people some of the things they want, instead refusing to give them much of anything. This is how immoderate politicians and parties (eg. Trump in the USA, AfD in Germany, National Party in France) gain strength.

A couple of the things some Germans want is Germany out of the EU and tighter immigration control. The AfD offers both of those. Germany out of the EU is probably a non-starter, but tighter immigration control isn't unreasonable.

People will continue pointing alarmist fingers at the alleged march of fascism/Nazism while doing little that is in their control to take away the fuel.

Very true, far easier to demonize your political opponents, than to try to find any common ground and upset your own zealots.

 

[RangerRay]

I take fears of "Far right" with some salt due to how the political landscape changes.

That’s ignoring the running to the right the so-called “conservatives” are doing.

I used to be considered to the right of Attila the Hun. Now I’m in the centre. I haven’t moved at all.

 

[Brad Sallows]

That’s ignoring the running to the right the so-called “conservatives” are doing.

I used to be considered to the right of Attila the Hun. Now I’m in the centre. I haven’t moved at all.

A thing about worrying about a few contemporary "conservatives" running to the "far right" is that pretty much the entire far left has loudly been denouncing democratic processes and institutions for decades while advertising their intentions to abolish much of it if they get the chance. They do it right out there in the open in print and on TV shows and in the crap propaganda that passes for information in some post-secondary academic educational programs, and no-one seems to get their knickers much in a knot over it. Assassination porn, calls for violence, actual violence, illiberal policies aimed at what people should believe and what they may express, near elimination of political pluralism and elections - all of it, for a long time and ongoing.

When true tyranny descends on a democracy, the safe bet is that it'll be coming from the left.

 

[RangerRay]

A thing about worrying about a few contemporary "conservatives" running to the "far right" is that pretty much the entire far left has loudly been denouncing democratic processes and institutions for decades while advertising their intentions to abolish much of it if they get the chance. They do it right out there in the open in print and on TV shows and in the crap propaganda that passes for information in some post-secondary academic educational programs, and no-one seems to get their knickers much in a knot over it. Assassination porn, calls for violence, actual violence, illiberal policies aimed at what people should believe and what they may express, near elimination of political pluralism and elections - all of it, for a long time and ongoing.

When true tyranny descends on a democracy, the safe bet is that it'll be coming from the left.

And you are blind to the same illiberalism being spouted by those in power in the current US administration and parties that used to be considered “conservative” in the Anglosphere. All of your valid points about the far-left, whose real support is questionable, are also valid for today’s right.

Illiberalism is a bipartisan project, especially by those in power.

 

[QV]

And you are blind to the same illiberalism being spouted by those in power in the current US administration and parties that used to be considered “conservative” in the Anglosphere. All of your valid points about the far-left, whose real support is questionable, are also valid for today’s right.

Illiberalism is a bipartisan project, especially by those in power.

What is illiberal about the current administrations policies and actions?

 

[Brad Sallows]

And you are blind to the same illiberalism being spouted by those in power in the current US administration and parties that used to be considered “conservative” in the Anglosphere.

Sure, I've never criticized the Trump administration for something like its economic or foreign policies. Don't confuse my two-bit expositions of how things came to be among US conservatives and are likely to proceed as endorsements.

Trump was avoidable, if - and almost only if - the political establishment wasn't so full of itself that it thought it could follow only a vector of its own choosing and never have to make concessions to the common sense of the proles. Much of the illiberalism is a consequence of the behaviours of people who thought they could blow off the 70% or so of Americans who want things like having their borders properly controlled.

There simply aren't as many Americans on the right who profess to hate their country as there are on the left, and that is a fundamental difference as to where revolutionary change is likely to originate.

All of your valid points about the far-left, whose real support is questionable, are also valid for today’s right.

"All"? Unlikely to the point of impossible.

"Questionable"? Have you been following some of the recent primaries for the US midterm elections?

 

[Brad Sallows]

What is illiberal about the current administrations policies and actions?

Much of its economic policy (tariffs in particular); some of its foreign policy (haphazard war against Iran and belligerent economic and diplomatic activity against real allies); some of its domestic policy (particularly immigration enforcement - the means occasionally used).

Much of what some people hate about ICE was foreseeable. If Democratic administrations can create porous borders almost by doing nothing and it is conversely extraordinarily difficult to undo those actions within customary limits, shortcuts to reverse the effects were inevitable. People who think that a mass migration fait accompli could be dumped into the laps of Americans without unpleasant blowback were and are unrealistic.