AfD becomes Germany's most popular party amid identity backlash
Germany's far-right AfD has become the country's most popular party, riding voter anxiety over migration, economics and cultural change.
Germany's far-right AfD is now the country's most popular party nationally. Recent state elections show voter anxiety over migration, economic decline and cultural change strengthening the party.
The AfD finished first in the small eastern German state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and came third in Berlin. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union performed poorly.
Merz called the results a disaster and faces renewed pressure from within his own party. The AfD thrives on nostalgia for a simpler past.
The party blames young Muslim migrants for Germany's insecurity and exploits voters' sense that life has become fragmented and unequal. Similar far-right parties across Europe have built support by emphasising national identity and restrictive immigration.
- Mecklenburg-West Pomerania
- First-place finish
- Berlin
- Third-place finish
- Friedrich Merz
- Chancellor
- Past decade
- Migration wave timing
Why it mattersA far-right breakthrough in German federal elections would reshape European politics and could unwind decades of liberal, multicultural policy across the continent.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect yet, though Australia watches German politics as part of broader Western alliance stability and the global surge in populist politics.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 d ago
