Do Germany's Elections Foreshadow Immigration, Energy Shifts?

September 4, 2024--Written by Paul Wiseman for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Sunday's voting in the German states of Saxony and Thüringia showed, as predicted, a hard right turn on the part of voters frustrated with what they perceive as lax immigration policies and other issues. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD, German: Alternative für Deutschland) also is strongly opposed to many of the current government's energy policies, including expanding wind energy and abandoning nuclear.

In Thüringia, AfD finished on top, garnering about one third of the vote--nine points higher than the conservative Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) party and significantly ahead of the three parties in the current ruling coalition. In Saxony, it finished second by a hair, with CDU collecting 31.9% and AfD right behind--and again ahead of the ruling coalition parties.