Worries about the economy and migration pushed up share for far-right AfD in Hesse and Bavaria, while coalition parties did worse

German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s fractious centre-left coalition has received a sharp rebuke from voters in the key states of Bavaria and Hesse, with economic woes and immigration fears boosting the opposition conservatives and the far right.

At the elections on Sunday the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party burst out of its post-industrial eastern strongholds to score its best ever result in a western state. Polls showed it on course to be the second largest party in Hesse, home to the financial capital Frankfurt.

All three parties in Scholz’s federal coalition – his Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) – did worse than five years ago in the states, which together account for about a quarter of the German population.

  • CookieJarObserver
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    1 year ago

    (not my opinion but stuff i hear a lot)

    Immigrants causing problems (not necessarily crimes just problems in general, like housing)

    Inflation (idk how right wing will help that)

    Dislike of how immigrants behave often, especially young single males

    Believe that we should give AFD a chance because the other parties wasted basically all of their credibility with many different actions

    Unattended Existential fears (all kind of fears)

    Also some are just edgy and others just hate immigrants (especially Muslims) in general