AfD's Gains in Germany Delight Czech Politicians, Alarm Experts

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party scored a decisive victory in September's state elections in two German states — Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern — winning 43.8% and 38.2% of the vote respectively. The far-right party's success was publicly welcomed by Tomio Okamura, chairman of the Czech Chamber of Deputies, and Filip Turek, a Motorists party MEP, though German experts warn that a stronger AfD could harm Czech interests.

Record-High Ratings in Germany

Following the vote, the AfD became the strongest opposition force in Germany's Bundestag. In last year's early parliamentary elections, the party won 20.8% of the vote, and current polls put its support at 26-29%. That means that if elections were held in Germany today, the AfD would win at the federal level — though it would be unlikely to form a governing coalition, since the other parties refuse to cooperate with it.

Czech Politicians Delighted

Tomio Okamura, Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies, called the AfD's results "a wonderful thing." His party, SPD, sits together with the AfD in the "Europe of Sovereign Nations" group in the European Parliament. According to him, the election results prove that "liberal, pro-European politicians offer Germans no future." Okamura also expressed hope for the success of Marine Le Pen in France and of Austria's Freedom Party: "This will be a new wind. Anti-migration policy, abandoning the 'green deal,' patriotic politics."

MEP Filip Turek, elected for the Motorists party, also voiced support for his German allies, writing that the AfD's win in Saxony-Anhalt is "no longer a protest, but a mandate," calling it a "historic achievement."

Why the Joy May Be Premature

What mainly unites Czech politicians with the AfD is a hardline stance on migrants from outside Europe. However, the rise of a party regarded as far-right even in Germany itself will not necessarily benefit Czechia, experts note.

"The AfD cannot influence the federal government's foreign and European policy from the state level — in this case, Saxony-Anhalt. But it can change how EU and NATO countries view Germany and weaken its 'soft power' — its ability to persuade partners of its approaches and proposals," explained Vladimír Handl of the Department of German and Austrian Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University.

According to him, Germany's growing military power will increasingly be associated abroad with an unsettling question: how would the country — Europe's strongest conventional military power — behave if power in Berlin passed to right-wing nationalists. This scenario is of particular concern to France and Poland, the expert emphasized.

Read also: Free Czech Courses for Foreigners: Where to Learn

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz