In the wake of three fatal stabbings by a Syrian immigrant whose asylum was denied, the anti-immigration AfD may win three state elections in September.
Knife Attack
NPR reports Man claiming to be behind Solingen knife attack turns himself in, German police say.
A 26-year-old Syrian asylum-seeker turned himself in to police, saying he was responsible for the Solingen knife attack that left three dead and eight wounded at a festival marking the city’s 650th anniversary, German authorities announced early Sunday.
On Saturday the Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, without providing evidence. The extremist group said on its news site that the attacker targeted Christians and that he carried out the assaults Friday night “to avenge Muslims in Palestine and everywhere.” The claim couldn’t be independently verified.
The attack comes amid debate over immigration ahead of regional elections next Sunday in Germany’s Saxony and Thueringia regions where anti-immigration parties such as the populist Alternative for Germany are expected to do well.
According to Reuters, Thuringia and Saxony vote on Sept. 1 and Brandenburg follows on Sept. 22. Combined, the three states have around 8.5 million inhabitants and account for 10% of Germany’s population.
The far-right AfD is expected to emerge as the strongest party in these elections. It may be difficult or impossible for an anti-AfD coalition to suppress AfD.
AfD Crowds Cheer Nation’s Most Feared Politician
The Guardian reports AfD Crowds Cheer Nation’s Most Feared Politician
Three eastern German states hold elections next month and, by a quirk of the calendar, the regions up for grabs are among those with the most supporters of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland. If the polls are accurate, the AfD could wind up the strongest party in all three, a year before the planned date of Germany’s next general election. Depending on who you ask, it would be a political earthquake, a catastrophe or a wake-up call for the country.
The strength of the AfD and a new populist upstart, the “leftwing conservative” Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance), underlines dovetailing trends in Europe’s top economy: mounting frustration with incumbents, anxiety about Germany’s military support for Ukraine and festering divisions between east and west more than three decades after reunification.
Höcke, 52, co-heads the state chapter of the AfD in Thuringia, which will vote on 1 September along with Saxony. The AfD, polling at about 30%, has been classed as “confirmed rightwing extremist” by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the domestic security watchdog, in both states. Brandenburg, the largely rural state surrounding Berlin, will hold its election on 22 September. Its AfD chapter is listed as “suspected rightwing extremist”.
Government Future in Danger
DW reports German Government’s Future in Danger in Regional Elections
Though eastern Germany is often seen as a homogenous region, there are major political differences among the states. While Thuringia has been governed for the last decade by the socialist Left Party under State Premier Bodo Ramelow, Saxony has been led by Michael Kretschmer of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 2017.
In both states, the only possible coalitions that keep the AfD out of government (and all the other parties have promised to do that) appear to be an uncomfortable alliance between the CDU and Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW). It would be bizarre partnership: The former is a centrist party that likes to present itself as a rock of stability, tradition, and conservatism, the latter an upstart outfit less than a year old run by a former communist with a gift for populist rhetoric.
“Sahra Wagenknecht is a cult figure in eastern Germany. She leads the party autocratically, and she is a focus of the yearning for authority and leadership in the east,” as Vorländer puts it.
An alliance with the BSW, which is polling at nearly 20% in Thuringia and over 10% in Saxony, is likely to be difficult to digest for some in the CDU. Apart from the fact that Wagenknecht was once a member of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) in the communist East German dictatorship, she is already making demands that will be difficult for the CDU to accept. For instance, that it should declare itself against the stationing of US medium-range ballistic missiles in Germany.
And though the BSW has consistently distanced itself from the far-right AfD and ruled out any cooperation, one fact looms uncomfortably over this election: The two parties have more in common than sets them apart.
All this leaves Scholz’s SPD in a desperate situation, especially because another eastern German state, Brandenburg, will hold an election three weeks later. Here, too, the AfD is leading the polls, with the SPD and CDU vying for second place.
Yet in some ways, it is Scholz’s coalition partners that have the most to fear from these three elections. The Green Party, currently in government in all three states, is likely to lose that influence, while the neoliberal Free Democrats (FDP) are facing annihilation in the East — probably as punishment for hitching their wagon to the Scholz train. That does not bode well for Scholz’s already fractious coalition.
SPD on the Brink of Extinction
SPD is hovering around 5 percent in opinion polls in both Saxony and Thuringia.
That is the threshold to have any representation in Government.
Saxony Polls
Die Linke (the Left), the Greens, SPD, and FDP are all on the 5 percent boot threshold.
They all deserve the boot. But that does not imply cheering for any of them.
Thuringia Polls
Die Linke is much stronger in Thuringia than Saxony.
Brandenburg Polls
Be prepared to kiss FDP goodbye in a clean sweep.
The Greens appear to go up in flames in Thuringia and hopefully across the board.
The more parties that get booted, the harder it will be to form any coalitions.
It will be impossible to exclude both AfD and BSW. Both are anti-immigration, pro-Russia.
National Elections
The next national election has been set for Sept. 28, 2025.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he will run for a second term, but support for his SPD party has collapsed.
The famed traffic light coalition is unworkable with combined support down to 48.5 percent with FDP on the bubble. FDP deserves to get booted for agreeing to join the current coalition mess.
Anyone for another failed “Grand Coalition” between CDU/CSU and SPD?
Very good news. Germany has declined by orders of magnitude in just twenty years. The trajectory must be changed.
Nice picture of the AfD leader they selected, making a “nazi salute”.
“Journalism”, baby.
There is so much crime in L.A. now, that the latest poll shows Nathan Hochman to be leading current Soros DA Gascon by 2 to 1. The old adage that a conservative is a liberal who has been mugged. Same applies in Germany.
“The old adage that a conservative is a liberal who has been mugged.”
Not conservative. Neo Conservative.
Noone properly conservative have anything whatsoever with neither liberals nor neocons. Both of whom are far too dense to ever comprehend any solution, to any perceived problem, aside from handing ever more arbitrary power to some useless dregs in gommiment.
Sounds to me, like Germany, France, Greece, England, France etc. are all dealing with what America is dealing with. Foreigners trying to take over parts of their Sovereign Nations.
They should all talk to Trump, and get onboard together as Sovereign Nations to Stay Sovereign…
The Globalist Elites hate that Western countries became places where the working and middle classes were comfortable. So they opened up their borders to ppl in places which were poor to drive down wages, but they called it “diversity.” This resulted in dividing the lower classes between ppl who didn’t see mass immigration as important to the country and ppl who gullibly believed and still believe that anyone who disagrees with mass immigration MUST be a racist.
Gen alpha, in the US, is small. Gen beta 2025 – 2040 might be even smaller, but globally, including gen alpha, possibly 4/5 billions. Where will they go : Germany. After the holocaust the Germans can’t say no. A girl that can’t say no is in troubles.
How to keep 4/5 billion people busy : dig tunnels, like in China, N.Korea and Jasa.
“far right” = normal.
“progressive” = weird
The AfD are not “far right”. Stop calling them that. You may as well call the SPD and the Green Party “far right”. It’s meaningless.
In the Netherlands, the speaker of the house objected to mentioning “extreme right” as it tends to refer to Nazism, and use “far right” instead. Agreeing here.
NaZi stands for National Socialist or far left. Germany has a NAZI government run by CDU Scholz.
Ironically Great Britain defeated the German National Socialists in WWII then immediately replaced Winston Churchill with the socialist Clement Atlee. Today Great Britain is more socialist than Russia and only slightly less fascist.
I’ve commented this before, but I don’t see how it makes sense to have so many parties. You just split your side’s vote. That’s why the Dems hate the Green Party. It costs them votes.
In the 1932 Reichstag elections (there were 2 of them), about 14 political parties won seats in Germany’s parliament under its proportional representation system. The Nazi party won a plurality (but not a majority) of the seats in the Reichstag both times. (see Wikipedia)
Im worried about finding squaters in my place when i come home since they are now sprinkling illegals in my area pretty sure id set an example of what should be done and go to jail
With 12.5M new illegal residents, many of whom are working age males, can you imagine how much more crime there’s going to be, if we get into a real recession?
How many more Laken Rileys, Rachel Morins, and hundreds of thousands of drug deaths is it going to take for reasonable minded Americans to wake up?
The whole country is following CA’s rapid descent into hell.
My understanding is that Germany has about the worst retirement in Europe (oldest age and least benefits) and that their energy mis-steps are threatening their industry
Germany and the EU as well imo, forgot that Energy=Food. You can’t live without Food or you starve to death. You can’t live without energy or you Freeze to death, or you part ways in some other fashion. Both are needed for our existence. It’s that simple!
This all happned at a “Diversity Festival.” Why does the German government do this to its people? https://www.eugyppius.com/ (no affiliation whatsoever) is a great substack that regularly reports on politics in Germany.
Islam doesn’t do diversity. The sooner the European elites find that out the better.
Until then the anti white environment that is government sanctioned continues.
Olaf Scholz wants to deport illegal immigrants, but where can they go.
If the US, EU and Israel have a mandate over Jasa Palestinians and Arabs deportees can rebuild their lives and feed a family. Western factories will replace UNRA. An industrial hub will be financed by the US, EU, Qatar and the Saudis. Oil pipelines, refineries and a silkroad between Asia and Europe along with the Suez canal. Israel will quench the deserts, including Iran.
They don’t have to deport them – read up on German history…
You can only appreciate the situation of the native Germans when you consider that knifings are only the tip of the iceberg. What is the opposite of suicidal altruism cult?
My German friend said that France and the UK are done but that the Germans will rise up and deport these people or trend back to historical precedence and kill them.
AfD is no less communist/socialist/fascist than the ruling CDU party. Yet CDU nazis do their best to slur AfD as “far right”. The ruling CDU nazis try to outlaw the opposition AfD. It’s a German thing.
I don’t understand how anyone in Germany can vote for any party other than AfD. They should get 100% of the vote.
Germans are overcompensating for what happened under Hitler.
The guilt will never die because the Holocaust must always be relevant and in everyone’s mind.
I don’t understand how any rational person could actual vote for Kamala and most modern democrats woke…but here we are.
Apparently, the same way the polling here in the US tells us that Harris has a 7-point lead over Trump.
12.5M illegals have raced across the border, and Harris BOLD FACE LIES to the country that apprehensions are down, when all they’re doing is busing & flying them into legal ports of entry. Biden is literally importing illegals and make the US less safe, and Harris will continue this trend.
Setting aside all the bad that comes from drug cartels’ deeper push into Amerca, can you imagine the danger that will come from the thousands of new Chinese illegals that can disrupt all sorts of things from infrastructure, communications, utilities or to building & launch EMPs over middle America? The possibilities are endless.
It’s like half the country doesn’t know how to find real news or think for themselves. Fortunately, black males are waking up to the Dem’s con. That’s a welcome expansion of the GOP tent.
I cannot imagine where this country will be in 2028 if Harris wins. The extent to which our enemies will be emboldened literally boggles my mind.
Always something interesting going on in Europe. Never a dull moment. I know a lot of Germans but I can’t predict German politics so I won’t try.
Many European nations who are under the WEF yoke seem determined to criminalise half their population merely for dissent, and to “protect democracy*, or something.
Islamists need the boot.
How many more Germans will die before everybody screams NEIN!
Religion of peace. Which is funny, because after the prophet got the ball rolling, it was warfare and civil war. Jihad me dude.
We can and should condemn the knife attacks, while understanding his sentiments at seeing the blessings the peaceful religions of the US and Israel are showering on Gaza and the West Bank right now. The same blessings the US shared with Iraq, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan Somalia and Iran.. and that’s just in the Islamic world. Tomorrow we can discuss Asia and LatAm. So many blessings.
But what do I know? I’m just a blind mouse. Are you blind too?
Hamas appreciates your patronage. As a reward, cover all the women you know in black robes.
Yes, I must be a Hamas supporter if I point out that the US has bombed many countries, killing people and generating revulsion. Only a Hamas supporter could believe that.
Are you a Three Stooges fan?
Bowery Boys and Little Rascals are my jam.
You are not blind. You are just plain wrong.
You don’t think US actions generate revulsion? Or you don’t believe the US bombed these countries? Where am I wrong, exactly?
I do not think that much of the motivation of the international conduct of Western nations is the expression of explicit religious belief. There are many who believe it is the absence of religious belief that enables the West to be so bloody minded.
We have our own religious beliefs in our right to impose systems of governments on other peoples. There might not be a deity involved, exactly, but darn near. Don’t you love, though, how my critics won’t even try to deny the horrors inflicted by our own government on other countries?
I mean… the US sends Israel the bombs to drop on Gazans, votes against Palestinian self-determination in the UN, vetos a Palestinian state in the UN… I mean… why would anyone hate us? Why, oh why? Must be for our freedoms.
The new US/Israel mantra: “The bombing shall continue until they stop hating us.”
Blame it on Gaza, ooookkkkkaaayyyyy…..
Radical Islam will ALWAYS find a rationale for their violence, but you keep carrying their water for them.
You overlooked where I blamed it on US wars/bombing of Islamic countries of … Iraq, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Somalia and Iran, and unconditional support for Israel’s actions against Palestinians over decades. It may have started when the US overthrew the democratic government in Iran in 1953, installing a puppet regime that was brutally repressive, leading inexorably to rise of the Islamic regime and hostage crisis. Propping up Saudi government, backing a coup in Egypt that installed Sisi. Yes, it goes back a long way. But maybe you believe they hate us for our freedoms?
Why just yesterday, Wikileaks revealed US Marines killed a family of 24 in Iraq in cold blood and denied it. Why, oh why do they hate us? https://x.com/wikileaks/status/1828485138570760313
I have asked everyone I know over and over with no answers, so I will ask you Mish.
Since you called the AFD “far right”, can you please define for me what that term means?
I also found the use of that term to be curious. We shouldn’t be helping to propagate the narratives of the gatekeepers in media – at this point far right is having moderate right leaning views that were considered ‘normal 30 years ago .
“We shouldn’t be helping to propagate the narratives of the gatekeepers in media”
Exactly. Don’t let the far left define the terms. Remember the trick they pulled with ‘gun violence’; a pejorative term intended to creat the mental image of guns wandering down the street by themselves. We must never think that there is a person in control of the object.
Civil rights, not lefts. Interesting.
SImple. Anyone not in favor of dhimmitude under a barbaric foreign culture is “far right”.
“Far right” is anyone who disagrees with leftists. Same with racists. And transphobes. And xenophobes. Don’t forget the mysogynists. The homophobes. The Nazis. The microaggressors. The patriarchy. The fascists. To name a few.