Worries about the economy and migration pushed up share for far-right AfD in Hesse and Bavaria, while coalition parties did worse

Worries about the economy and migration pushed up share for far-right AfD in Hesse and Bavaria, while coalition parties did worse

German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s fractious centre-left coalition has received a sharp rebuke from voters in the key states of Bavaria and Hesse, with economic woes and immigration fears boosting the opposition conservatives and the far right.

At the elections on Sunday the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party burst out of its post-industrial eastern strongholds to score its best ever result in a western state. Polls showed it on course to be the second largest party in Hesse, home to the financial capital Frankfurt.

All three parties in Scholz’s federal coalition – his Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) – did worse than five years ago in the states, which together account for about a quarter of the German population.

    • Carighan MaconarEnglish
      9•1 year ago

      Yeah, in the times where we would most need to all work together, 25%-50% of people in many western nations would rather intentionally abolish intellectual progress, science and common sense, just so they can spend their lives sitting there going “Na na na na na can’t hear you” with their fingers in their ears.

      Pass the buck to the next generation.

      Granted, it is this very fear - that we’re the generation that gets to see all the shit hit the fan - that causes the fascist parties like the AfD, the Republicans or the Tories to be able to woo their voters. But it’s so sad that it works, especially because a lot of AfD voters do have kids. And do have someone sitting at the table they want to actively fuck the world up for.