Ik schreef een korte analyse van de Duitse verkiezingsuitslag voor het Griekse dagblad Efimerida ton Syntakton.
Weidel’s American dream for the next election
The anti-fascist firewall from the German political mainstream still stands. Even though the extremist Alternative für Deutschland is now the second-strongest force in German parliament, cheers at their election party were subdued. But leader Alice Weidel sought to reassure her friends: the days of their political isolation are numbered. She is right to be optimistic.
Christian democrat leader Friedrich Merz is set to form a new coalition government that faces historic challenges. The German economy is slowing down and the continent it is expected to lead is forced to face Russian aggression without American help. During the campaign, Merz was clear he sought to revitalize German leadership after years of indecisive infighting in Berlin.
If he fails in cooperation with the left, Weidel was quick to point out, disgruntled voters will not have many alternatives apart from her AfD. In her speech, she asked her fellow party members to look to the future. The next elections will come sooner than you think, she said, and might see her party grow bigger than any of its rivals. A new three or even four party coalition will be unstable and face a large and influential AfD leading the opposition.
Since last weekend, Weidel knows she has another reason to be optimistic. From now on, American VP Vance all but announced in Munich, both Washington and Moscow will do whatever they can to boost her chances. The pressure will be extreme: Moscow will keep up the military, political and economic pressure on Europe in general and especially Germany, while Silicon Valley will keep using its algorithmic dominance of the media ecosystem to fan the flames the Kremlin is gleefully starting.
They are, however, not the only ones using social media to gain power. The real surprise of this election was Die Linke: written off a few years ago after the exit of pro-Russian figurehead Sarah Wagenknecht, the remaining party became younger and more focused, mounting an inclusive, innovative campaign that sought to mobilize young voters that are both dissatisfied and scared of the right-wing turn their country is taking. Let’s hope the clarity of Trump’s threats and the creativity of a new generation of politicians revitalizes the left-wing alternative before his, Weidel’s and Putin’s dreams come true.