Voters will go to the polls in the German states of Saxony and Thuringia this Sunday, in an election that will likely be closely watched as an indicator of public sentiment toward the country’s government.
On Sunday they celebrate regional elections in the German states of Saxony and Thuringiaand many warn of the possible success of the extreme right.
The result of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) will likely be closely watched as an indicator of public sentiment towards the current German coalition government.
Anti-immigration sentiment in the country has skyrocketed following recent extremist attacks, such as fatal knife attack last week in the western German city of Solingen, authored by claimed by the Islamic State group.
Saxony has traditionally been a stronghold of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, which has enjoyed great popularity throughout Germany in recent decades.
However, five years ago it was forced to form a tripartite alliance with the Greens and the German Social Democratic Party (SPD). His ability to govern is currently up in the air, with a close result expected between the CDU and AfD in this weekend’s election. These elections could represent the AfD’s best electoral result to date, since the far-right party would obtain around 30% in Thuringia.
Risk of a blocked political system
As voters prepare to go to the polls, minority groups warn against the possible rise of the far-right AfD. The American Jewish Committee’s Berlin office has published a pamphlet detailing what it describes as anti-Semitic ideology of the AfD and its links to extremism.
In statements to ‘Euronews’, the group director warned of the risk posed by the rise of the AfD.
“Maybe we will see after the state elections that It will be very difficult for the other parties to form a coalition without the AfD“said Remko Leemhuis. “That could mean a blocked political system without a functioning government.”
The AfD’s policies could also have broader consequences at the European level. In the past, the party has proposed holding a referendum on whether Germany should leave the European Uniona measure that could threaten the entire European ecosystem.
The AfD came second in Germany in this year’s European electionscampaigning with the debate on migration and refugees as a central theme of its platform.
