Anti-euro party Alternative for Germany extends gains in Germany

[Zanza]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/11095700/Anti-euro-party-Alternative-for-Germany-extends-gains-in-Germany.html

Anti-euro party Alternative for Germany extends gains in Germany

Alternative for Germany (AfD), which wants to retrieve powers from Brussels, gained a record 12 per cent of the vote in polling in eastern state of Thuringia, according to exit polls

Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling conservative Christian Democrats was dealt a further embarrassing political blow after Germany's new anti-euro party won seats in state parliaments in key regional elections for the second time in a month.

Alternative for Germany (AfD), which wants Europe's crisis countries, including Greece and France, to leave the eurozone and aims to retrieve powers from Brussels, gained a record 12 per cent of the vote in polling in the eastern state of Thuringia on Sunday, according to exit polls.

The Eurosceptic party also secured 10 per cent of the vote in elections held concurrently in the neighbouring state of Brandenburg. Earlier this month the party won close to 10 per cent of the vote in the eastern state of Saxony.
Bernd Lucke, the AfD's leader told Germany's television that he was delighted by the result yesterday. "We are happy that more and more people in Germany want political renewal," he said.

In both states the Eurosceptic party campaigned on local issues. It argued against immigration and in favour tighter border controls and tax breaks for German families with children. The party also wants referendums to be held on plans to build mosques.

The results were the fourth electoral success in a row for the AfD since it narrowly failed to enter Germany's national parliament in Berlin in federal elections last year. But the party won nine seats in European elections earlier in 2014.

Chancellor Merkel has tried to ignore the AfD which takes its support from disillusioned conservatives, estranged liberal Free Democrat party supporters as well as former Left Party and neo-Nazi National Democratic Party voters.

But Ms Merkel recently admitted that AfD was a " problem". Her conservatives have flatly ruled out the idea of a coalition with the Eurosceptics.

Most political analysts say the AfD has a good chance of gaining seats in Berlin in Germany's 2017 general election. " This is because Merkel has moved her conservative party to the left, leaving a vacuum to the right which the AfD is filling," said Werner Patzelt, a professor of politics at Dresden University.

The AfD's gains were unlikely to result in changes in government in the two states where voters went to the polls on Sunday. In Brandenburg the ruling Social Democrats won the most votes and were expected to continue in government with the Left Party. In Thuringia, the present coalition of conservatives and Social Democrats was expected to stay in power.

This is the first time in German postwar history that a political party that is right of the Conservatives and isn't openly neonazi gains considerable traction. Will be interesting to see how this develops as it threatens Merkel's core power base.

[Valmy]

This is probably it for the Liberals isn't it?  Any Liberal parties left in Europe now?

[Zanza]

This is probably it for the Liberals isn't it? 

Looks like it. I sometimes voted for them, but their leadership really became worse and worse.

[Tonitrus]

How much longer until we can take away "balls of light" status, and you all get to join us Americans?   

[The Brain]

Swedes are more balls of steel.

[Eddie Teach]

Swedes are more balls of steel. snow. 

[Zanza]

Swedes are more ballbearings of steel.

Fixed that.

[Liep]

This is probably it for the Liberals isn't it?  Any Liberal parties left in Europe now?

Depends. The biggest party in Denmark calls itself for a liberal party, but really it's just a slightly more business friendly social democratic party.

The Liberal Alliance is a much smaller party and slightly insane, so yeah, we got a liberal party.

[Duque de Bragança]

So they are taking votes from the CDU but also from Die Linke which is quite popular in the East, where those recent gains happened. It's going to be as much of a problem for the CDU and SPD which has already competition on its left with Die Linke so it's not so bad, just even narrower coalitions.

[Sheilbh]

So they are taking votes from the CDU but also from Die Linke which is quite popular in the East, where those recent gains happened. It's going to be as much of a problem for the CDU and SPD which has already competition on its left with Die Linke so it's not so bad, just even narrower coalitions.

Similar to UKIP. Takes votes from the right but, perhaps increasingly, from those who've been 'left behind'.

I'm not sure forcing permanent cohabitation of the establishment v the rest is a good thing.

[Duque de Bragança]

So they are taking votes from the CDU but also from Die Linke which is quite popular in the East, where those recent gains happened. It's going to be as much of a problem for the CDU and SPD which has already competition on its left with Die Linke so it's not so bad, just even narrower coalitions.

Similar to UKIP. Takes votes from the right but, perhaps increasingly, from those who've been 'left behind'.

I'm not sure forcing permanent cohabitation of the establishment v the rest is a good thing.

Germans do it better than anyone else though, with a few Große Koalitione examples.

[Sheilbh]

No doubt - though I think they're storing up a lot of trouble for themselves. But I don't think Germany's immune from the shift away from the established mainstream parties (especially if they hit difficulties and as they're partners) to other groups. I think the decline of the FDP is more symptom than cause.

[Zanza]

The German mainstream media suggests that the AfD is quickly losing its libertarian/liberal wing due to disillusioned members leaving and is turning into a right-wing party with a more statist economic policy.

A permanent "grand coalition" between the Conservatives and the Social Democrats (as we have now) would be very damaging. That's Weimar Republic style of governance with a democratic core and left and right wing parties getting stronger at the cost of the mainstream parties with each election. Let's see.

I hope the AfD will show its true colors soon and will also show that they have very few able politicians. If so, they could go the way of previous "protest" parties, such as the Pirates that had some brief successes in local elections and are pretty much done by now.

[Sheilbh]

The German mainstream media suggests that the AfD is quickly losing its libertarian/liberal wing due to disillusioned members leaving and is turning into a right-wing party with a more statist economic policy.

This is happening with UKIP too. As they're finding they're doing better in old Labour areas their whole libertarian ('let's charge for the NHS') style is being replaced by a rather more lefty one.

Though a very libertarian Tory MP just defected and is likely to keep his seat. So Farage may have ideological competition on this.

A permanent "grand coalition" between the Conservatives and the Social Democrats (as we have now) would be very damaging. That's Weimar Republic style of governance with a democratic core and left and right wing parties getting stronger at the cost of the mainstream parties with each election. Let's see.

I agree. As I say I think it's a European trend.