In Germany, a political reality is taking shape that was long unthinkable. For the first time since World War II, a far-right party is close enough to power that it’s planning to govern rather than just grow and disrupt. To prepare for a scenario where it might rule and fill public offices, the anti-immigrant AfD is professionalizing its internal structure. Despite being classified as “right-wing extremist” by German domestic intelligence, it’s now the largest opposition party in the country’s parliament and leading in many polls. Next year, five of Germany’s 16 states are holding regional elections. In two of them, both in the former East Germany, polling suggests it might win with nearly 40% of the vote, putting it within reach of an outright majority. Yet as a young party founded in 2013, it has in the past lacked the personnel to fill positions — a situation it’s now seeking to rectify at speed. A crucial step is the foundation at the end of November of a new youth wing called Generation Germany. AfD leader Alice Weidel envisions it as an ideological training ground for recruits, telling the young men and women at the founding conference: “You will take over political responsibility, and the first step for this is a successful youth wing.”
Not only is AfD riding high in the polls, but there are indications that it’s beginning to attract powerful support. The latest US national security strategy suggests Donald Trump’s administration will seek to “cultivate resistance” to “Europe’s current trajectory,” indicating support for the far right across the continent. Still, there’s a ceiling on how far the AfD can go on its own. Recent polling suggests that its voter potential lies at 28%. In other words, the AfD is a long way from an outright majority at the national level, which is very rare in German politics anyway. It would need a coalition partner to rule.
