„Wir gucken zuerst auf uns“ – nur wie lange noch? Parteienwettbewerb bei der Kandidatenaufstellung zur Bundestagswahl 2017

Abstract

The rise of the right-wing populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has changed the German party landscape and challenged the other Bundestag parties . So far, this has not been paid attention to when looking at how parties fulfill their recruitment function, i .e . how they select candidates for elections . This study investigates whether and how the AfD has influenced their rivals’ nomination processes in 2017 . By drawing on guided interviews with members of the selection bodies, strong inertial forces within the established parties in terms of the selection mode became obvious . Similarly, candidates for the Bundestag were largely chosen according to internal party criteria despite increased inter-party competition . Those results notwithstanding there are initial signs that voter-related selection criteria might be weighted stronger in the future . This could be due above all to declining membership figures, changing conditions for competition in the districts and enhanced polarization within the parties .