US EditionWest German foothold of far-right AfD shows challenge for Merz
- The far-right AfD topped the vote in Gelsenkirchen, a western German town in the industrial Ruhr region, as Friedrich Merz prepares to become chancellor on Tuesday.
- The AfD’s rise follows increasing immigration and economic decline, with the town facing 14.8 percent unemployment and challenges integrating recent migrants from Romania and Bulgaria.
- Gelsenkirchen’s population dropped from 400,000 in the 1960s to 272,000 today, including 75,000 non-German nationals, while half of its children face poverty amid scarce jobs and social tensions.
- The AfD, designated as a right-wing extremist party by Germany’s intelligence agency, won about 20 percent nationwide and will be the largest opposition party, fueling debate over a possible party ban.
- Merz’s government faces pressure to initiate ban proceedings against the AfD, but high legal hurdles and political divisions suggest cautious handling amid warnings of backlash and foreign criticism.
48 Articles
48 Articles
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West German foothold of far-right AfD shows challenge for Merz
His grandfather came from Turkey decades ago to work in the coal mines of the western German town of Gelsenkirchen, but Mehmet, 28, says he understands the rise of the anti-immigration far-right AfD there.
The great challenge of the new German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz: what to do with the far-right AfD party?
It is not just the economic crisis, foreign policy, or the immigration debate. Friedrich Merz’s main problem, which on Tuesday will become the 10th chancellor since the founding of the Federal Republic in 1949, is called Alternative for Germany. Continue reading
AfD’s classification as an “extremist organization” places Merz in the face of a high-voltage political decision
The next German Chancellor must now decide whether to outlaw the ultra party in the midst of widespread discontent in the country, and with the far right rising in the polls
Merz government: The promising attempt to find an alternative to AfD and right-wing populism
The Merz government is being misrepresented even before the start of the campaign, and it is worth wishing for its success. Its plans and the personnel known so far have the potential to give the citizens what they want: a somewhat more conservative, unexcited and efficient policy.
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