display

In the early evening, optimism dominated.

AfD Bundescheffer Jörg Meuthen spoke of “consolidation”.

The Bundestag parliamentary group leader and Baden-Württemberg state chairman Alice Weidel saw a “very solid result”.

But the positive interpretations contradicted the negative signs of the numbers more and more: In the course of the projections it became apparent that the party's share of the vote in both federal states was a good deal lower than in the state elections in 2016.

In this respect, the AfD did not really pass one of its many tests that evening.

It could not build on the fact that five years ago in Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg, in the first major elections after the immigration of refugees, it achieved spectacular results of 12.6 and 15.1 percent from the state.

This is where you will find third-party content

In order to interact with or display content from third-party providers, we need your consent.

Activate external content

I consent to content from third parties being displayed to me.

This allows personal data to be transmitted to third-party providers.

This may require the storage of cookies on your device.

More information can be found here.

This is where you will find third-party content

In order to interact with or display content from third-party providers, we need your consent.

Activate external content

I consent to content from third parties being displayed to me.

This allows personal data to be transmitted to third-party providers.

This may require the storage of cookies on your device.

More information can be found here.

display

The fact that this time there was no acute opportunity to mobilize xenophobic resentments seemed to be developing to the detriment of the party.

To just assert oneself to some extent or to give in is difficult to reconcile with the self-image of the AfD to represent an allegedly steadily growing displeasure in all possible areas.

The protection of the constitution as the main declaration

Several of the party's politicians made an apology on Sunday evening.

“Completely unlawful” was the AfD “the protection of the constitution”, said Weidel, referring to reports in recent weeks that the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified the entire party as a suspected case.

The Rhineland-Palatinate top candidate Michael Frisch said that "they even brought the constitution protection against us".

However, months before these events, namely since May 2020, the AfD in both federal states had sagged significantly compared to the values ​​of the last state elections there.

The AfD and the protection of the constitution

display

It was already evident from this that the party also struggled with its second test.

Namely, whether she will succeed in elections with her special positioning in the corona crisis.

The party has not simply attacked the German government's actions against an objective threat, has not simply criticized the serious delays in vaccinations.

Rather, the right wing of the officially disbanded wing, which is still present in Baden-Württemberg in particular, questioned the virus threat as such and raised massive fears of vaccines with “mandatory vaccination” alarmism.

Meuthen said on Sunday that the party had "developed a very consistent position" on this issue.

But that in fact meant that the AfD had little choice but to hope for the milieu of radical protests and demonstrations against the protective measures.

This milieu is not very big.

Weidel also has to fear displeasure

display

The third test is also relevant within the party.

It had to be clarified whether the AfD could be successful with an officially somewhat less aggressive election campaign.

Michael Frisch in Rhineland-Palatinate and the Baden-Württemberg top candidate Bernd Gögel have in principle spoken out in favor of the less radical course of Co-Federal Chairman Jörg Meuthen in the past few months, despite numerous arrangements with wing supporters.

Michael Frisch, AfD top candidate in Rhineland-Palatinate

Source: REUTERS

The election programs were also geared to this.

More cautious in tone than in 2016, both state associations outwardly rely on relatively country-specific accentuations of economic, energy, education and family policy.

Gögel describes himself as a “real politician” and is interested in “factual politics for the citizens”.

As a result, the outcome of the election and, above all, its internal party assessment have an impact on how the Meuthen camp fared in the AfD's power struggles, including at the federal level.

If the outcome is still considered tidy, the Meuthen warehouse benefits from the positioning of Frisch and Gögel.

If disillusionment or even disappointment spreads in the AfD, Meuthen's position is weakened.

Of course, this does not automatically mean that one of his most important opponents, Bundestag parliamentary group leader Weidel, will then have a boost.

Because she is the state chairman in Baden-Württemberg.

This is where you will find third-party content

In order to interact with or display content from third-party providers, we need your consent.

Activate external content

I consent to content from third parties being displayed to me.

This allows personal data to be transmitted to third-party providers.

This may require the storage of cookies on your device.

More information can be found here.

This is where you will find third-party content

In order to interact with or display content from third-party providers, we need your consent.

Activate external content

I consent to content from third parties being displayed to me.

This allows personal data to be transmitted to third-party providers.

This may require the storage of cookies on your device.

More information can be found here.

Dissatisfaction with the election result will therefore also be directed against Weidel's role in the divided regional association.

In the last week of the election campaign, by the way, she was not in the Ländle for several days, but with two other members of the Bundestag in Moscow.

Baden-Württemberg is also relevant for the top AfD candidacy in the federal election campaign.

Weidel is considered an aspirant for it, but would first have to achieve first place in the list in her national association.

Whether or not she will succeed is far from certain.