The right-wing extremist AfD and the left-wing BSW think almost identically on the subject of climate change. How can that be? A political scientist explains.
The party, which is partly classified as right-wing extremist, Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the alliance Sarah Wagenknecht (BSW) are particularly similar in two areas: climate and domestic policy. There, the party programs for the Saxony election and Thuringia election strong. This shows a study of the German Economic Institute (DIW).
AfD and Wagenknecht’s party are both “strictly opposed to almost any measure for climate protection,” writes the DIW. And: Just like the AfD, the BSW in Saxony (which is stronger than all traffic light parties there) for a more consistent deportation of foreigners who are required to leave the country and for border controls. The political scientist Klaus Schroeder has examined where the differences lie and what this means for possible coalitions in the East. BuzzFeed News Germany from IPPEN.MEDIA explained.
AfD and BSW are “countermovement to the traffic light government”
“The AfD and BSW are distancing themselves from the established parties, are coming together through protest and are both against political correctness,” says the expert from the Free University of Berlin. “Potential AfD and BSW voters think: ‘Scholz is a loser. The others are all losers too.’ It is the countermovement to the traffic light government and against the situation in Germany.”
For example, on the topic Climate change The BSW and the AfD are taking advantage of the public’s belief that the debate is completely exaggerated, says Schroeder. He believes that the form of protest of the last generation, which has recently been stuck at airports again, is actually harmful. It “indirectly contributes to people being fed up.”
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Expert names difference between AfD and Wagenknecht’s BSW
How can former left-wing politicians like Wagenknecht represent the same positions as the right-wing AfD? Can you be left and right at the same time? It depends on how you define left and right, says the political scientist. “Left” traditionally means “redistribution”, the term “right” means something like “ethnic”, i.e. the idea that the German people are superior to others. “And Sahra Wagenknecht is not ethnic,” says Schroeder. “Björn Höcke on the other hand, plays with it. Whether he really believes that or is just acting, I’m not sure.”
Schroeder believes that this difference is also the reason why the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance and the AfD will not join forces in the state elections in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg. “The AfD is so stigmatized, is classified as right-wing extremist by the authorities, Wagenknecht cannot afford that. That would be the end of her.”
Another expert, however, warns against Wagenknecht’s fantasy. Both agree that the “CDU in the East must overcome its fears” in order to prevent the AfD from coming to power. The party spectrum in Germany will be reorganized, Schroeder predicts.
#Coalition #BSW #AfD #Wagenknechts