In a first, Germany’s far right will take control of a district

A candidate for the resurgent far-right Alternative for Germany party has won a district board seat, the first time since the party was founded a decade ago that it has captured such a prominent regional post.

The candidate, Robert Sesselmann, won 52.8 percent of the vote, beating the incumbent, Jürgen Köpper of the conservative Christian Democratic Union, who received 47.2 percent. The result has raised concerns from other parties who have struggled to respond to the rise of the AfD, as the party is known in Germany.

Although the post that went to the AfD is comparable to that of a mayor of a medium-sized German city, the victory has reverberated across the country thanks to two breakthroughs: although the party is present in parliament, the vote will make it bureaucratic for the first time control of an area, and it has never before had the support of a majority of voters in a district.

“The result of the Sonneberg district council election is disturbing,” wrote Ricarda Lang, co-chair of the federal Green Party. on Twitter. “And it is a warning to all democratic forces: This is the moment at the latest when – regardless of any disputes over issues – all democratic forces must stand together to defend democracy.”

Sunday’s victory in the small district of Sonneberg, at the southern tip of the state of Thuringia, an emerging stronghold for the AfD in the former East Germany, came after a runoff was held when none of the candidates secured more than 50 percent in the regular elections on June 11.

Now Mr. Sesselmann will oversee an administration responsible for many aspects that shape the lives of the district’s residents, including infrastructure, job centers and refugee housing.

Christian Herrgott, the head of the CDU’s Thuringia branch, said in a statement: “The election results make it clear that we all have a task to find solutions for this kind of protest against Berlin.”

The AfD’s victory was especially troubling for its mainstream counterparts, at least in part because the race in Sonneberg focused on critiques of federal politics, where the usual issues, such as parking, waste or local finance, that are the bread and butter of district problems, were mostly avoided. .

It is also the first concrete sign of success amid a general rise in the party’s popularity. Recent polls show that if elections were held today, the AfD would win about 20 percent of the vote nationwide, behind the CDU, one of Germany’s largest parties. The same polls show that the Social Democrats, who lead the governing coalition, are trailing slightly behind the AfD.

“The real options of a district administrator in a district of 54,000 are limited, but this election victory puts the AfD in a central position to attack state and federal politics,” said Matthias Quent, an expert on far-right extremism. the RND news outlet.

According to Germany’s domestic intelligence service, about 10,000 of the AfD’s 28,500 members are extremists. Björn Höcke, who heads the party’s Thuringia branch, is under investigation by a public prosecutor in Saxony-Anhalt for using a banned Nazi slogan during a 2021 campaign speech, but he is also one of the most popular figures among supporters of the party. .

At least part of the AfD’s newfound support is widely seen as a response to the government in Berlin: The country is struggling to transform its economy, enact unpopular energy policy changes and tackle migration at levels seen since 2015. and 2016 has not occurred again. when more than a million people entered the country. It was that last issue that helped the AfD win seats in parliament.

As in previous municipal and regional elections in which the AfD was able to win, mainstream parties rallied around one candidate in Sonneberg and urged their voters to support Köpper.

“That was just the beginning,” says Tino Chrupalla, the co-leader of the AfD’s national operation. wrote on Twitter. “We are winning majorities with our policy for the interests of the citizens. This is how we realize a turnaround for the better for Germany.” Mr Höcke predicted a “political earthquake” in the upcoming district and state elections.

Bodo Ramelow, the far-left governor of Thuringia, attributed the result to the fault line that remains between east and west more than three decades after reunification. The AfD has found most support in parts of the former East Germany, where its anti-migrant stance has held up in a region where the economy has never equaled that of the former West.

“I think we need to redefine the spirit of German unity,” Ramelow told ZDF public broadcaster after the results were announced on Sunday evening, “that we include the East Germans and not create the feeling that they are being laughed at or just being talked about.”