Four years ago, after the AfD entered the Bundestag, Alexander Gauland uttered a gloomy prophecy.
His third largest parliamentary group from now on will “hunt Mrs. Merkel or whoever” and “repeat our country”.
As political big game hunters, Gauland, driven by a thirst for revenge on his former party, and his comrades from the far right, missed their goal of luck for Germany by far.
The AfD, which has mutated into a right-wing extremist party, especially in East Germany, with the participation of Gauland, has not achieved important election goals. On election day and possibly even beyond, Angela Merkel is still in office as a highly regarded and respected Chancellor. On the other hand, the AfD failed with its goal of marching towards twenty percent and establishing itself as by far the strongest opposition faction.
The sad truth, however, remains that the AfD has established itself, at least in East Germany, as a destructive and anti-constitutional force with popular party strength.
In doing so, it can rely on an electorate that is neither bothered by dirty power struggles and donation scandals nor by the latent racist ideas of many party officials and elected officials.
For them, the AfD is a “normal” party.
That is a disturbing finding.