Why was the AfD so successful in East Germany?

Monday, 24 February 2025 18:29

By Siobhan Robbins, Europe correspondent

Celebrating its best-ever result, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has made extraordinary gains in the last few years.

It has doubled its vote share since 2021 with more than 10 million people picking them in this year's federal election.

You only have to look at a map of Germany to see where much of its support comes from.

Almost all of the old East Germany has turned AfD blue.

Read more:
Conservatives win German election - as AfD makes historic gains

The party has always been more popular in German areas that were once under Soviet rule, but this year has tightened its grip.

In the stronghold state of Thuringia, the party got more than 38% of the vote.

Feeling fed up and ignored by mainstream parties, many have flocked to the far right.

Some of that support is fuelled by resentment that 35 years after Germany reunified, wages in the east are still lower than the west.

People are increasingly disconnected from centrist politicians they feel don't understand them.

On a recent road trip to AfD heartlands, people told me that migration, the economy, and the war in Ukraine were all reasons why they were supporting the party.

Initial statistics show the AfD is now the most popular party among young men.

It also managed to successfully convert nearly two million non-voters to its cause.

While it is strongest in the east, it has made gains in the west and, in total, took almost a million votes from the leading Christian Democrats.

If centrist parties fail to solve the issues worrying Germans, the far right is waiting in the wings ready to seize power at the next election in 2029.

Sky News

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