Germany Can't Take ‘Firewall’ Against AfD for Granted
The message that the AfD is the only party for real change is a powerful one. Mainstream rivals need to bear this in mind.
Alice Weidel, co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany political party, waves.
Photographer: Sean Gallup/Getty Images EuropeRiding high in the polls, the anti-immigration Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is in a buoyant mood ahead of German elections on Feb. 23. With all other parties forming a “firewall” against it, the AfD is unlikely to get into power this time, but the next election may be a different matter.
Currently in second place behind the center-right CDU/CSU, the AfD is as close to power as ever before. This has prompted some AfD leaders to promote a softer course, perhaps in the hope of persuading other parties to consider it a viable coalition partner. But the moderates have lost the argument as the party doubled down on its most radical positions.