Anti-immigration party soars in national German poll after win in key state election | Eastern NC Now

Coming off its landslide win in the key state election in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany's annti-immigration populist nationalist Alternativ fur Deutschland (AfD) is soaring in national political preference polls.  The AfD has been the most popular party nationally for most of the past year, but it has now reached a double digit lead over the second-placed center-right Christian Democrats.

This also comes as the German states of Mecklenburg-Lower Pommerania and Berlin are scheduled to vote in their state elections on September 20.

The GMS poll for a German newspaper found if an election were held for the federal Bundestag (parliament) today, the AfD would be in first place with 30%, followed by the Christian Democrats second at 20%.  Another recent poll by the British polling firm YouGov found that AfD would have a slightly higher lead with AfD at 29% and the Christian Democrats at 18%.

https://rmx.news/article/germany-afd-hits-historic-30-cdu-slumps-to-record-low/

Meanwhile, in Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD finished 3 seats short of a mjaority, only the populist nationalist anti-immigration left BSW has agreed to enter talks with the AfD to form a government.  BSW's 5 seats would give AfD a governing majority, but it is expected to be a minority government arrangement where BSW furnished support from the outside through a formal or informal Confidence and Supply Agreement.  Although a party of the left, BSW shares a number of populist positions with AfD including opposition to mass migration, opposition to the EU climate agenda of Net Zero, and opposition to the "woke" culture.

Christian Democrat leader and national German chancellor Friedrich Merz demands a "firewall" where no party works with the AfD.  Polls show that a majority of German voters, including those of his own party reject that firewall.  BSW leader Sahra Wagenkrecht has openly denounced it.

There are rumblings that Merz may be ousted by his own party if Christian Democrats get dismal results in the September 20 state elections.  One of those tipped as new party leader if that happens is Markus Soder of Bavaria's Christian Social Union, an affiliate of the Christian Democrats.  Soder has said he believes it is time to end the firewall.  However, another contender for party leader has recently advocated banning the AfD, a tactic only used in Germany against a major party by Adolf Hitler and by the communist East German regime.  That would destroy democracy in Germany.