German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday welcomed a strong showing for his conservatives in local elections in North Rhine-Westphalia, even as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) nearly tripled its vote share in the country’s most populous state.
What Does the AfD Stand For?
AfD’s core platform is rooted in nationalism, anti-immigration policies, and Euroscepticism. The party first entered the Bundestag in 2017, capitalising on public discontent with Germany’s handling of the 2015 migrant crisis. Today, it continues to advocate for strict border controls, reduced asylum policies, and what it calls “remigration”—a concept critics say implies forced deportations.
The party also opposes Germany’s support for Ukraine, criticises NATO’s influence, and denies mainstream climate change policies, dismissing them as harmful to the economy.
In a 2005 paper, I used Census survey data matched to administrative Social Security earnings data and found that using even longer time averages of parents’ income of up to 16 years led to an intergenerational coefficient of 0.6, or 50% higher than Solon had found (Mazumder, 2005).1In that paper I also highlighted the implications of that higher degree of intergenerational persistence, suggesting that for a family living in poverty it might take five generations before their descendants (on average) would be close to the national average of income. So the new evidence suggested that, rather than being a country with relatively high mobility, the U.S. was actually a relatively rigid society in which income gaps were likely to persist for many generations.
The left is falling down on the job. Going after Israel is turning the middle off the left. Dropping issues like homophobia, racism, and misogyny are making a mockery of things.
Never stating an economic agenda is cowardice on the left’s part. But a lot of things are.
People posting on social media know zip but want likes. This thread is a kind of social media political zero.
And what is behind the discontentment? The middle & working classes are doing less well under their disfunctioning governments. And they want change. Or they want the pain to spread to the elites and professional classes.
Just how do you believe “Orange” one got elected in the USA?
The scale of the protests will help the new prime minister gauge the depth of widespread discontent across the country. Authorities are planning to deploy more than 80,000 members of the security forces and 24 armored vehicles across the country, an impressive show of force rarely seen since the 2018-2019 Yellow Jackets protests
The OP article says “Marcel Fratzscher, president of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), expressed concern about the strong showing of the AfD, saying it was “a warning signal for international investors and also for domestic companies,” in comments to the Handelsblatt business newspaper. He noted that North Rhine-Westphalia has the biggest economy of all 16 German federal states “by far,” meaning a rise of the AfD in the state could cast doubt on the ability of the political leadership to act and implement much needed reforms.”
The Centre-left (SPD and The Greens) have lost seats recently.
====== Summary of Party Positions ======
The AfD is Euroskeptic, anti-immigrant, questions the notion that climate change is man-made, aims to reintroduce nuclear energy, wants to uphold “traditional” German family values, and opposes diversity and gender issues.
The Greens put an emphasis on infrastructure development, and want to phase out automobile combustion engines, and expand renewable energy.
The SPD aims to tax the rich while easing the tax burden on low and medium-earners, but introduced welfare cuts (the “Agenda 2010” labor market reforms), and more recently have formed “grand coalition” governments with conservatives. The SPD wants to reform the debt brake, and make investments to “alleviate the financial burden on companies and citizens”.
==== The SPD Economic Plan ====
The SPD economic policy does look weak to me. SPD is calling for “more state intervention” when some are saying lengthy approval processes are stifling entrepreneurial initiatives.
SPD Election Programme 2025: Ambitious Manifesto Amid Tough Electoral Battle, January 14, 2025
“Concerning economic policy, the SPD calls for more state intervention to alleviate the financial burden on companies and citizens. To this end, the party proposes a Germany Fund and a “Made-in-Germany”-Bonus – an unbureaucratic tax incentive for investments. To reduce the cost of energy, the party aims to cap grid fees. Additionally, the SPD intends to safeguard jobs within the German industry, with a focus on ensuring long-term employment security, strengthening the collective bargaining coverage and enhancing the competitiveness of key industries. In order to finance these investments, the party manifesto calls for a reform of the debt brake. The SPD is committed to both national and European climate targets, advocating for a just climate transition that considers social inequalities. Germany is to become climate neutral. To this end, the party calls for the expansion of wind energy and photovoltaic systems, as well as the promotion of local heat planning.”
Germany’s economy has gone from engine to anchor. Here’s what the next chancellor faces, February 19, 2025
Some bullet points from this article:
Germany’s industrial base, once the backbone of its economy, is eroding. Prominent German companies are relocating some production abroad, citing lower costs and fewer bureaucratic hurdles.
Germany’s aging population poses significant challenges for its workforce and productivity.
High energy prices, driven in part by volatile gas markets, are undermining German competitiveness.
In contrast to Germany, several Central and Eastern European nations—such as Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic—have emerged as more dynamic competitors.