In the Eastern region, issues of weak loyalty towards political parties are exploiting the AfD and BSW parties.
Folks tended to take a detached stance towards politics after facing unfavorable situations in the DDR. Although they participated in voting, they were less inclined to partake in the discourse. There was also a noticeable trend where individuals shifted towards platforms propagating misinformation. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Free Voters (BSW) utilized this opportunity to gain traction, leveraging a surge of frustration since they were not in power.
According to Schneider, "AfD isn't involved in parliamentary work; instead, they're constantly active in rural areas and small towns," which intensified their "far-right" party's appeal. He hoped it was conceivable to restore balance to the situation.
Saxony and Thuringia are set to elect new state parliaments this Sunday. In Saxony, the CDU, headed by Minister President Michael Kretschmer, and AfD were in a close race in the polls. The existing alliance of CDU, SPD, and Greens wasn't guaranteed to retain its majority.
In Thuringia, AfD had a substantial lead over the CDU, followed closely by the BSW coalition and the Left Party. The current regime under Minister President Bodo Ramelow (Left) in Thuringia lacked a majority.
Spd leader Saskia Esken expressed concern over the high poll scores for AfD and BSW, labeling them "alarming" and "unusual." "People appear to be blindly signing up for something, willing to acquire a pig in a poke. We hardly know more than the figurehead's name," she commented in the "Augsburger Allgemeinen."
In the upcoming elections in Saxony, the CDU, led by Minister President Michael Kretschmer, is in a tight race with the Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Despite the CDU's close competition with AfD in Saxony, the CDU still remains a significant political party in German politics, being part of the existing alliance in some state parliaments.
