Right-wing Populism Taking Hold in Germany. The Success of the Political Party “Alternative für Deutschland” in the Regional Elections of March 2016

Abstract

In Germany, finally, a right-wing populist political party, the Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) emerged and was rather successful in the elections of the European Parliament and in regional elections, especially in the elections of March 13, 2016, which were held in three states on subnational level, Baden- Wuerttemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Saxony-Anhalt. The paper analyzes these elections and the meaning which they have for the politics in these specific states and for Germany as a whole. This involves the analysis of the shift of votes in these elections. The study gives a brief history of the party AfD and examines the ideology of the party, which has economic-liberal, national-conservative, right-wing populist positions. The examination of the historical circumstances shows that the situation with the euro crisis and the European refugee crisis was favorable for the establishment of a right-wing populist party. It was found that recently there has been a shift in the ideology of the party with a strong turn to the right, involving anti-immigrant and anti-Islamic positions. The success of the party in the regional elections of March 2016 can partly be attributed to this ideological shift. The paper concludes with the prediction that this party will play a strong role in the future of German politics and that it will be represented in the next Bundestag after the federal elections in 2017.