Germany’s far right is savouring a comeback and mainstream parties are blaming each other.
The anti-immigrant, climate-sceptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) is scoring its highest poll ratings in years, overtaking the Greens and moving within sight of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats.
After a two-year losing streak in regional elections, the AfD is back on the march in places well outside its usual ex-East German heartland.
Even when internal disarray kept the AfD off the ballot in a recent election in Bremen, support flowed to a small right-wing outfit called Citizens in Rage that more than quadrupled its vote share.
Analysts say the AfD, which was founded 10 years ago, is cashing in on public discontent about energy prices, immigration and the direction of Mr Scholz’s government.
Jakob Guhl, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue who monitors far-right content, told The National that some of the AfD’s most popular online traffic involved slating the Greens in Mr Scholz’s coalition.
The government has been plagued by infighting over Economy Minister Robert Habeck’s plans to phase out gas boilers, with his Green-controlled ministry also jolted by a nepotism scandal.
The far right portrays the Greens as “waging a war against simple working-class people who are not urban liberal elite and who need their cars to get to work”, Mr Guhl said.
“The AfD is able to create this narrative around elite metropolitan liberals ruling against the interests of regular people by recklessly supporting Ukraine, by imposing sanctions that damage the German economy, by pursuing pie-in-the-sky environmentalist programmes.”
The party's resurgence comes despite repeated warnings from ministers about the threat of right-wing radicalism, not least after prosecutors uncovered two alleged armed coup plots to overthrow Germany's post-war democracy.
Parts of the AfD are under surveillance by intelligence services, who say the party’s youth wing is at odds with Germany’s constitutional order. Party leaders see such interventions as politically motivated.
When one poll showed the AfD had 17 per cent of the vote nationwide, party co-leader Tino Chrupalla boasted that its message “is being well received by the public … no campaign against us can change that”.
“We want security for Germany by protecting our borders, and prosperity through free and peaceful trade,” he said.
Running on slogans such as “our country first”, the AfD has questioned Berlin’s support for Ukraine, opposed cutting energy ties with Russia and tapped into concerns about the number of asylum seekers in Germany.
Mr Scholz’s government “has not succeeded in containing social anxiety” around its energy policies, said Johannes Hillje, a political consultant who has run campaigns for environmentalist candidates.
Christina Stumpp, the deputy general secretary of Germany’s main opposition party, the centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU), said the AfD’s rise “is directly connected” to the performance of Mr Scholz’s coalition.
“Green ideology, wokeness, dismissing the refugee crisis and Habeck’s heating whammy are a stimulus package for the political extremes,” Ms Stumpp said.
Although the CDU leads in the polls, voters have shown little warmth for its millionaire leader Friedrich Merz, and the AfD portrays the opposition as “riding the same ideological climate train” as the government.
The AfD “is seen as the party that’s most antagonistic to the Greens”.
“People often vote against the parties they hate rather than for the parties they like,” said Mr Guhl.
Others say the centre right is to blame for echoing anti-migrant rhetoric that plays into the AfD’s hands.
Founded in 2013 as a “party of professors” disgruntled by the euro crisis, the AfD was reborn after the Syrian refugee crisis two years later as a right-wing populist force spreading anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
In 2017, it surged into Germany’s parliament at a general election, coming in third, with the highest vote share (12.6 per cent) for any far-right party since the Second World War.
Although mainstream parties refuse to co-operate with the AfD, its successes at the regional level have forced its rivals to form unwieldy coalitions to keep the far right out of power in state parliaments.
One of its more moderate figures, former AfD leader Joerg Meuthen, quit the party last year after saying it had taken on “clear totalitarian echoes”.
Memories of the country's Nazi past make far-right rhetoric a particularly sensitive subject in Germany, and the AfD has regularly caused unease by skirting around the edge of post-1945 taboos.
The party had a run of electoral setbacks in 2020 and 2021, with its lockdown-sceptic stance failing to resonate widely even as coronavirus-related protests helped to stimulate far-right conspiracy theorists.
The protests are blamed for fuelling the rise of the Reichsbuerger (Citizens of the Reich) movement, which rejects the legitimacy of the post-war German state and was linked to the alleged armed plots.
One of the suspected plotters arrested in December was a former AfD member of parliament, Birgit Malsack-Winkelmann, whose alleged involvement concerns about security in parliament.
The AfD’s anti-green rhetoric sometimes veers into conspiracy theories that suggest climate policies are the work of bogeymen such as US investors or big businesses, said Mr Guhl.
Despite its fringe elements, another recent poll finding is that the share of those who could never imagine themselves voting for the AfD has fallen to 57 per cent, from 70 per cent immediately after the last election.
Mr Hillje said in a social media post that signs of the AfD’s “normalisation in society” should be treated as a concern.
He sends an ominous warning: the AfD should not be dismissed as a protest vote but treated with vigilance as it sets its sights on a dam breach when three eastern states go to the polls next year.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company%20Profile
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%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHigh%20fever%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EIntense%20pain%20behind%20your%20eyes%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESevere%20headache%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ENausea%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EVomiting%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ESwollen%20glands%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERash%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIf%20symptoms%20occur%2C%20they%20usually%20last%20for%20two-seven%20days%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Denis%20Villeneuve%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Timothee%20Chamalet%2C%20Zendaya%2C%20Austin%20Butler%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJames%20Gunn%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chris%20Pratt%2C%20Zoe%20Saldana%2C%20Dave%20Bautista%2C%20Vin%20Diesel%2C%20Bradley%20Cooper%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ENGLAND SQUAD
For first two Test in India Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, James Anderson , Dom Bess, Stuart Broad , Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes. Reserves James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eamana%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Karim%20Farra%20and%20Ziad%20Aboujeb%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERegulator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDFSA%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinancial%20services%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E85%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESelf-funded%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m | Winner: ES Ajeeb, Sam Hitchcock (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Al Shamkhah, Royston Ffrench, Sandeep Jadhav
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m | Winner: Lavaspin, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m | Winner: Kawasir, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m | Winner: Cosmo Charlie, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m | Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m | Winner: Quartier Francais, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
F1 2020 calendar
March 15 - Australia, Melbourne; March 22 - Bahrain, Sakhir; April 5 - Vietnam, Hanoi; April 19 - China, Shanghai; May 3 - Netherlands, Zandvoort; May 20 - Spain, Barcelona; May 24 - Monaco, Monaco; June 7 - Azerbaijan, Baku; June 14 - Canada, Montreal; June 28 - France, Le Castellet; July 5 - Austria, Spielberg; July 19 - Great Britain, Silverstone; August 2 - Hungary, Budapest; August 30 - Belgium, Spa; September 6 - Italy, Monza; September 20 - Singapore, Singapore; September 27 - Russia, Sochi; October 11 - Japan, Suzuka; October 25 - United States, Austin; November 1 - Mexico City, Mexico City; November 15 - Brazil, Sao Paulo; November 29 - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi.
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Mountain%20Boy
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