Thousands protest against the Alternative for Germany party in the city of Soest because of their stances against immigrants (Anatolia)

Yesterday, Sunday, the extreme right in Germany suffered an electoral defeat, against the backdrop of the wave of protests witnessed in various regions of the country, expressing unprecedented opposition.

The Alternative for Germany party did not succeed in achieving a second victory by presiding over local elections in the Saale-Urla region in the eastern state of Thuringia.

His candidate, Uwe Tromme, received only 47.6% of the votes in the second round, which took place on Sunday, while his conservative competitor, Christian Hargout, received 52.4% of the votes.

The second official in the Social Democratic Party in the Thuringia region, Jörg Mayer, indicated that the defeat of the Alternative for Germany party was the result of civil society efforts.

These elections were considered a test at a time when Germany has been witnessing, for nearly two weeks, massive demonstrations denouncing the far right and its “racist” program, as its opponents describe it.

Demonstrators said yesterday that more than 800,000 people participated in the demonstrations throughout the weekend, especially in Hamburg and Dusseldorf, to denounce the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the threat it poses to the democratic system.

At the end of last week, organizers estimated the number of demonstrators at 1.4 million people.

These gatherings took place after the media revealed shocking information stating that members of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) discussed at the end of last year a plan that included mass expulsions of foreigners and “non-integrated citizens” into society.

Impact of protests

While the anti-immigration party and the existing regime have continued to advance in opinion polls for months, a poll conducted by the INSA Institute after the first anti-party demonstrations showed a decline in the percentage from 23% to 21.5%. The director of the institute, Hermann Pinkert, told the Bild newspaper that the demonstrations are having an impact.

Despite this, the Alternative for Germany party remains the second most popular party, behind the conservatives opposed to the country's Social Democratic Chancellor, Olaf Scholz.

The party is taking advantage of the rise in the number of immigrants and the unpopularity of the Schulz government, which has been in power since December 2021.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper reported that 130 to 150 new members are joining this far-right party every day, and the number of members is expected to rise to between 40 and 50 thousand by the end of this year.

For his part, Schulz confirmed in an interview with Die Zeit newspaper this week that “the demon is out of the bottle,” acknowledging the necessity of dealing with the growing size of this party instead of trying to reduce it as he had previously done.

Concern in economic circles

In the same context, the leader of the Free Democratic Party and Minister of Finance, Christian Lindner, stated yesterday that the Alternative for Germany constitutes a threat to democracy, considering that assuming responsibilities would lead to the destruction of the German economy.

Economic circles warn of the risks related to the spread of “alternative for Germany” theories, stressing that the economy needs foreign labor and international trade exchange. The party had previously announced its intention to hold a referendum on leaving the European Union.

Siegfried Roswurm (President of the Federation of German Industries) pointed out that voters should ask themselves the following question: Do you want to live in a country that addresses all these issues?

Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Peter Adrian stated that people will not come to (this) country unless they feel comfortable there, which enables us to attract them permanently.

In light of this atmosphere, the number of people calling for cutting off official funding for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) is increasing, especially after it was placed under surveillance by the intelligence services. Its local branches in Thuringia and Saxony were placed under surveillance because of their positions, which were considered too radical.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies