Many have become accustomed to the extreme right-wing party being the strongest force in parts of East Germany. Behind this apparent normality, the abyss awaits – and the chancellor has a duty.
When Olaf Scholz said goodbye to his summer vacation, he did it with a mixture of composure and confidence. The high poll numbers of the AfD did not seem to make the Chancellor nervous. Relaxed, he predicted that the party would perform in the next federal elections, which would not be significantly higher than in the last one. That was 10.3 percent. A good three weeks have now passed and the AfD has not been idle. For the European elections, in which it could become the second strongest party, it drew up a list of staunchly anti-EU candidates. AfD leader Tino Chrupalla speculated that Björn Höcke, the party’s leading right-wing extremist, would succeed him. In the Sunday question, the AfD lost slightly, but is still 21 percent.