“We’ve been building walls for far too long”: What is the mood regarding German reunification after the elections?
Following election victories in the east by the AfD – a party classified by some as far-right—here’s what the mood is like today among native East Germans who now live in the area…
Angela Merkel’s “We can do it” may be a cliché, but it’s important to stand together. “But you shouldn’t tell voters what to do; that doesn’t go over well, especially with people in the new federal states.”
That’s behind it. At least when it comes to the AfD.
What’s behind the rising polarization in German politics?
Recent state elections in Germany saw wins for parties on the political fringes, while parties in the center struggled. What is behind this realignment? And is it here for good?
Muslim, Young Female Vote Drives Far-Left Die Linke ‘Election Intifada’ in Berlin – Far-left Die Linke has won Berlin’s state election for the first time, taking 25.7 per cent of the vote after more than doubling its support since 2023, a result driven heavily by younger voters and the immigrant-origin electorate and accompanied by fresh controversy over the party’s increasingly radical Neukölln branch...
Election data show that Die Linke’s success was driven particularly by young voters and the immigrant vote. Infratest dimap found that 43 per cent of voters under 25 backed the party, while 49 per cent of those aged 25–34 did so. Among young women, the result was even more striking: 51 per cent of female voters under 25 chose Die Linke, compared with 34 per cent of young men. The Greens followed among young women with just 12 per cent.
According to separate research by Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, Die Linke received 51 per cent of the Muslim vote, twice its overall share and 36 percentage points more than among Muslim voters in the 2023 Berlin election.
Berlin election campaign centers around radical-left drive to seize properties – Following Sunday’s regional vote, a coalition of left-wing parties could move to expropriate apartment buildings as part of a plan to lower rents…
The Left party, which traces part of its history to East Germany’s communist party, is enjoying a political revival after winning a new wave of support from young voters mobilized by the far right’s rise. For its Berlin campaign, the party has taken inspiration from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, employing his focus on cost-of-living issues as a model.
Ain’t nobody gonna listen to you at the UN anyway.
Merz cancels UN visit after AfD election win puts his leadership on the ropes – German chancellor gets support from state leaders but further far-right gains this weekend could spell the end.
Powerful German state leaders from Friedrich Merz’s party have rallied behind him as speculation builds that his days in office may be numbered.
The chancellor’s hold on power has looked increasingly shaky since a bombshell regional election result earlier this month in which the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party routed his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in Saxony-Anhalt.
With two more states heading to the polls on Sunday where the AfD is expected to perform well, Merz cancelled a plan to speak at the UN general assembly in New York next week because “his presence is required in Berlin”, a government official said on condition of anonymity.
How could elections not be closed to foreigners? In Berlin or anywhere else.
In cosmopolitan Berlin, elections still closed to foreigners – A quarter of Berlin residents will have no say in the German capital’s city-state election because they lack citizenship. That’s the highest proportion of residents excluded from the election yet, and many are unhappy.
How Mustafa is taking on the far-right Eastern Germany – We followed Mustafa through the final weeks of his campaign for the Left in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. What matters to young people in Saxony-Anhalt?
When we first meet Mustafa, there are only a few weeks left until the state election in Saxony-Anhalt. He is a candidate for The Left (Die Linke), which, alongside the AfD, is one of the most popular parties among young people in Germany.
The other Berlin Wall – Germany needs a new strategy for coping with the AfD.
Mainstream parties can’t avoid talking to the hard-right front-runner for ever…
A smattering of German words, such as Blitzkrieg and Schadenfreude, have made their way into other languages. Among the most recent to begin to do so are Zeitenwende (“turning of the times”) and Brandmauer (“firewall”). The first reflects the shift in geopolitical thinking in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; the second, mainstream politicians’ determination to isolate extreme parties. However, what was intended to signal that Germans have learned from history has instead plunged their nation into a political crisis.
Election Campaign Hype on eBay: 1,000 Euros for a Siegmund Autograph on the “Spiegel” Cover – Election-campaign frenzy at the online auction site eBay! There, a private seller sold an autograph by AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund (35) for the state election (September 6) in Saxony-Anhalt on an issue of Der Spiegel titled “Germany’s Most Dangerous Man.” Highest bid: 1,010 euros!
A total of 43 bids were placed. In the listing, the seller assured buyers: “You are bidding on an original, hand-signed (not a copy or print) autograph by Ulrich Siegmund on a Spiegel issue. I hope you enjoy bidding!” Beneath the AfD politician’s signature is the date from last Saturday (August 15, 26).
