{"id":100752,"date":"2025-02-21T03:56:41","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T03:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/activist\/germanys-suddenly-turbulent-election-the-nation\/"},"modified":"2025-02-21T03:56:41","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T03:56:41","slug":"germanys-suddenly-turbulent-election-the-nation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=100752","title":{"rendered":"Germany\u2019s Suddenly Turbulent Election | The Nation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<div id=\"article-title-block_9716b34ba483a54c81c2563dc42f8643\" class=\"article-title \">\n<div class=\"article-title__container\">\n<div class=\"article-title__eyebrow\">\n                            <span class=\"article-title__labels\"><br \/>\n                                        <span class=\"article-title__label\"><br \/>\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/subject\/world\/\">World<\/a><br \/>\n                    <\/span><br \/>\n                                                                            <\/span><br \/>\n                                    <span class=\"article-title__label-divider\"> \/ <\/span><br \/>\n                                                                            <span class=\"article-title__date\">February 20, 2025<\/span>\n                                    <\/div>\n<div class=\"acf-innerblocks-container\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-the-nation-dek article-title__dek\">\n<p>In the wake of Trump\u2019s victory\u2014and his administration\u2019s transformation from staunch ally to sneering adversary\u2014Germany\u2019s firewall against the far right is beginning to crack.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad-block ad siderail-ad float-r-w-3 break-r-4\">\n<p>                                    <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenation.com\/advertising-policy\" class=\"ad-policy\" target=\"_blank\">Ad Policy<\/a><br \/>\n                                    <\/aside>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"907\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Mannheim_20Feb.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-542955\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Mannheim_20Feb.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Mannheim_20Feb-275x173.jpg 275w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Mannheim_20Feb-768x484.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Mannheim_20Feb-810x510.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Mannheim_20Feb-340x215.jpg 340w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Mannheim_20Feb-168x106.jpg 168w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Mannheim_20Feb-382x240.jpg 382w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Mannheim_20Feb-793x500.jpg 793w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The CDU offices in the Berlin district of Tempelhof-Schoeneberg splashed with light-blue paint\u2014the AfDs party\u2019s color.<span class=\"credits\">(Courtesy of Linda Mannheim)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">B<em class=\"tn-font-variant\">erlin\u2014<\/em>Even before German federal elections were scheduled to take place this Sunday (February 23), the outcome seemed predictable. Friedrich Merz, the leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), would become chancellor. His party would form a coalition with the center-left parties\u2014the Social Democratic Party (SPD) or the Greens or both. Every postwar government in Germany except for one has been a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/a-history-of-germanys-coalition-governments\/g-41818483\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">coalition<\/a> government, and this has provided the country with a remarkable amount of stability. The only party that would never be included in a coalition, was the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). They were excluded by the \u201cfirewall\u201d\u2014an agreement among the other parties to refuse to collaborate with the AfD on anything. But on January 29, Merz <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/friedrich-merz-germany-gamble-to-accept-far-right-support-fails-in-parliament-afd-cdu-migration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cracked<\/a> the firewall, introducing an anti-migrant resolution in the Bundestag that passed only thanks to support from the AfD.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/friedrich-merz-germany-gamble-to-accept-far-right-support-fails-in-parliament-afd-cdu-migration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">response<\/a> from politicians, pundits, and the general public was volcanic. \u201cThe consensus that democratic parties do not cooperate with the extreme right was broken today,\u201d Chancellor Olaf Scholz <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/afd-firewall-germany-political-consensus-explained\/a-71457050\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>. Condemnation came from figures in nearly all political parties, including Merz\u2019s own. Former chancellor Angela Merkel even issued a rare public <a href=\"https:\/\/www.buero-bundeskanzlerin-ad.de\/erklaerungen\/erklaerung-von-bundeskanzlerin-a-d-dr-angela-merkel-zur-abstimmung-im-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a> to say she considered it wrong \u201cto knowingly allow a majority with AfD votes in the Bundestag for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Protesters swiftly began taking to the streets across Germany, with over a million collectively <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/chart\/33962\/protests-against-the-rise-of-the-right-in-germany\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">protesting<\/a> the far right. And the membership of center and far-left political parties shot up, with Die Linke (The Left)\u2014once considered to be politically dead\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spiegel.de\/politik\/deutschland\/die-linke-erreicht-15-jahres-hoch-bei-mitgliederzahl-a-e5c793f0-d6c1-49f8-b8bb-c0284a68295b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">measuring<\/a> its highest number of members in 15 years, 17,470 new members registering the same day that Merz and the AfD cooperated. When the next <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bundestag.de\/dokumente\/textarchiv\/2025\/kw05-de-zustrombegrenzungsgesetz-1042038\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stage<\/a> of adopting the anti-migrant legislation failed a few days later, it was because some members of Merz\u2019s own party refused to support it.<\/p>\n<p>It seemed, during the week following, that a governing coalition between the CDU and the SPD or Greens was no longer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/olaf-scholz-friedrich-merz-post-election-coalition-germany\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">possible<\/a>. But given the opinion polls, like the <a href=\"https:\/\/interaktiv.tagesspiegel.de\/lab\/bundestagswahl-2025-sonntagsfrage-wahlumfragen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one<\/a> published on February 18, it is the only possibility, with support for the CDU\/CSU at 30 percent, the AfD at 20 percent, the SPD at 16 percent, the Greens at 13 percent, Die Linke at 7 percent, the FDP at 5 percent, BSW (Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, a new party whose members broke away from Die Linke) at 4 percent, and others at 5 percent. <\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/7221894\/alternative-for-germany-afd-far-right-party-explainer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">AfD<\/a>, founded in 2013, is currently under observation by Germany\u2019s domestic intelligence agency for suspected right-wing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germanys-domestic-secret-service-battles-far-right-afd\/a-68350993\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">extremism<\/a>, and three of its state branches have been designated \u201cproven right-wing extremist\u201d and are most popular in states that were part of the former East Germany.<\/p>\n<p>The danger that an antidemocratic, racist, nationalist party poses is of course not merely theoretical in Germany. It is something recalled again and again\u2014in speeches, at commemorative events, and through memorials that recognize the victims of National Socialism. Some critics of Germany\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/knowing-germanys-remembrance-culture-as-a-foreigner\/a-54012402\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">memory culture<\/a>\u201d have assessed it as less than genuine, a pose. This misunderstands its impact and meaning. Germany\u2019s memory culture might be flawed and not always in line with the times, but in 2025, it is something that very much shapes the culture and voters\u2019 decisions.<\/p>\n<div id=\"current-issue-block_b2ecd805965e9796d071ba189bb66a10\" class=\"current-issue  float-l-w-2\">\n<h4 class=\"current-issue__title\">\n                    Current Issue<br \/>\n            <\/h4>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/issue\/march-2025-issue\/\" class=\"current-issue__cover\"><br \/>\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/cover0325.jpg\" alt=\"Cover of March 2025 Issue\"\/><br \/>\n    <\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2025\/02\/16\/europe\/friedrich-merz-profile-germany-election-intl\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Merz<\/a>, who attempted to become party leader twice before finally succeeding, wants to shift the CDU to the right of the political spectrum after Merkel, his longtime rival, brought it closer to the center. The CDU leader has signaled his anti-immigration positions for as long as he\u2019s been in politics\u2014which is to say for most of his life.<\/p>\n<p>In the past few months, a series of violent attacks instigated by men who arrived in Germany as asylum seekers have dominated the news. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ifo.de\/en\/press-release\/2025-02-18\/more-foreigners-do-not-increase-germanys-crime-rate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Research<\/a> has shown there is no correlation between an increase in migration and an increase in crime. But the attacks have been brutal and devastating, and Merz is one of the politicians whose reflex is to highlight his anti-immigration stance. German voters themselves don\u2019t appear to prioritize controlling migration. A recent poll <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zdf.de\/nachrichten\/politik\/politbarometer-union-antrag-afd-100.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">showed<\/a> that they are most concerned about peace and security (48 percent), the economy (41 percent), and social justice (40 percent). Concerns about refugees and asylum policy came fourth (27 percent), just ahead of climate protection (23 percent).<\/p>\n<p>The AfD\u2019s strongest relationship with a political party so far is with US Republicans and Trump administration officials. Elon Musk has <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/the-far-right-is-rising-at-a-crucial-time-in-germany-boosted-by-elon-musk-247895\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">boosted<\/a> the AfD on Twitter\/X, addressed an AfD rally by video, and interviewed AfD leader Alice Weidel on his podcast. , At the Munich Security Conference earlier this month, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/feb\/14\/jd-vance-stuns-munich-conference-with-blistering-attack-on-europes-leaders\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">JD Vance<\/a> privately met with Weidel while rebuffing a meeting with the Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and during a 22-minute speech claimed that Germany was \u201cdismissing voters\u2019 concerns, shutting down their media,\u201d and destroying democracy. In reality, 79 percent of German voters view the AfD <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/short-reads\/2024\/09\/20\/7-facts-about-germanys-afd-party\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">negatively<\/a>, and 71 percent said they agreed with the statement that the AfD is a threat to democracy. Vance\u2019s speech, a US commentator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c4g9nmeyzkjo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">observed<\/a>, \u201cwas all for US domestic consumption.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"cta-block_88dbb195f09322ad5a3b838e78b4d969\" class=\"cta float-l-w-3\">\n<p>Germany\u2019s relationship with the US is complex. The first question you have to answer when thinking of postwar relationships between the countries is: East or West? West Germany, rebuilt by the US both physically and politically in the post war era, was closely aligned with America up until the first Trump presidency beginning in 2017. The scale and velocity of the Trump administration\u2019s latest interventions might be startling, but the general direction of it should not be a surprise.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration\u2019s statements have indeed had an impact on the elections\u2014but probably not the one it had anticipated.<\/p>\n<p>At a televised debate on February 16, AfD leader Alice Weidel was ridiculed by the other candidates. Hapless and unable to articulate the policies her party stands for, she suggested the it was up to the Federal Police to decide how to seal the country\u2019s borders; she was only a politician. Weidel might be proud of Vance\u2019s support for her, but that support amounted to interference in Germany\u2019s elections, Merz pointed out. \u201cAll in all,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sueddeutsche.de\/meinung\/tv-quadrell-merz-scholz-weidel-lux.Gk2NS93cy5mj5Do8rnRT7A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a> commentator Nicholas Richter in <em>Sueddeutsche Zeitung<\/em>, the other party leaders \u201clooked as if their parties could at least get along again after the election.\u201d Which would mean they could form a coalition after all, with Weidel standing as a warning of what might happen if they don\u2019t.<\/p>\n<section aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad fullwidth-ad contained row position-relative ad-block alignfull \">\n            <!--Ad policy starts here--><br \/>\n                    <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thenation.com\/advertising-policy\" class=\"mid-ad-policy\">Ad Policy<\/a><br \/>\n                <!--Ad policy ends here--><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>Germany is an outlier in political terms\u2014while country after country has normalized the far right, Germany has not. It is not that Germany is immune to the far right. It is that, so far, the vast majority of politicians and civil society have prioritized opposing the far right strategically and pragmatically, often joining together with those they have little else in common with aside from opposition to right-wing extremism.<\/p>\n<section id=\"popular-block_81be2495b832ed423ed9d92725c08398\" class=\"popular-articles\">\n<div class=\"swiper\">\n<p><h2>Popular<\/h2>\n<p>            <span class=\"swipe-msg\"><span class=\"sr-only\">\u201cswipe left below to view more authors\u201d<\/span>Swipe \u2192<\/span>\n        <\/p>\n<ol class=\"popular-articles__list\">\n<li class=\"popular-articles__list-item swiper-slide\">\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-articles__list-item swiper-slide\">\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-articles__list-item swiper-slide\">\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"popular-articles__list-item swiper-slide\">\n<\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>The polls have not changed in any significant way since Scholz called for a confidence vote in the Bundestag on December 16, knowing this would pave the way to a general election his party would be unlikely to win. Support for each party has held fairly steady\u2014a point up here, a point down there\u2014save for Die Linke, which is now appears to have eked out enough support to meet, and possibly surpass, the 5 percent threshold needed to enter parliament again. Yet a weakness has been revealed. Merz may have regretted his choice, and the public response might have chastened him, but the country\u2019s likely next chancellor showed poor judgement. And with a former ally\u2014the United States\u2014now transformed into a threat, Germany\u2019s need for solid and principled leadership is greater than ever.<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-end-\" class=\"article-end \">\n<div class=\"article-end__authors\">\n<div class=\"article-end__author\">\n<h5 class=\"article-end__author-name\">\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/linda-mannheim\/\">Linda Mannheim<\/a><br \/>\n                    <\/h5>\n<p>                                            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LindaMannheim\" class=\"article-end__author-twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><br \/>\n                            <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"17\" height=\"14\" viewbox=\"0 0 17 14\" fill=\"none\">\n\t<path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M15.2054 3.54558C15.2122 3.6951 15.215 3.84463 15.215 3.99527C15.215 8.58792 11.7194 13.8834 5.32683 13.8834C3.36455 13.8834 1.53779 13.3083 0 12.3221C0.271606 12.354 0.548252 12.3702 0.828257 12.3702C2.45677 12.3702 3.95536 11.8147 5.14483 10.8829C3.62384 10.8543 2.34085 9.84963 1.89844 8.4692C2.11068 8.51008 2.32797 8.53136 2.55253 8.53136C2.87006 8.53136 3.17695 8.48936 3.46815 8.40984C1.87772 8.09008 0.680414 6.68501 0.680414 5.00273C0.680414 4.98705 0.680414 4.97305 0.680414 4.95793C1.14858 5.21833 1.68452 5.37514 2.25461 5.39362C1.32219 4.76921 0.708415 3.7063 0.708415 2.5006C0.708415 1.8633 0.879778 1.26633 1.17882 0.753361C2.89302 2.85621 5.45395 4.23887 8.34249 4.38392C8.28313 4.12967 8.25233 3.86423 8.25233 3.59206C8.25233 1.6729 9.80861 0.117188 11.7278 0.117188C12.7274 0.117188 13.6301 0.539436 14.2641 1.21425C15.0559 1.05913 15.8002 0.769041 16.4716 0.370873C16.2118 1.18289 15.6602 1.86386 14.9428 2.29395C15.6462 2.20939 16.3159 2.02235 16.9392 1.74626C16.4739 2.44292 15.8842 3.05557 15.2054 3.54558Z\" fill=\"#666666\"\/>\n<\/svg><br \/>\n                        <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-end__author-bio\">\n<p>Linda Mannheim is the author of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influxpress.com\/this-way-to-departures\"><em>This Way to Departures<\/em><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influxpress.com\/above-sugar-hill\/\"><em>Above Sugar Hill<\/em><\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Risk-Linda-Mannheim-ebook\/dp\/B00BIGB50Y\/\"><em>Risk<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0 Originally from New York, she lives in London and is a PhD researcher at the University of Westminster.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>        <!-- Tag ID: thenation_incontent_2 --><\/p>\n<section class=\"collections collections--col-0\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<h2 class=\"collections__title\">More from <span class=\"not-italic\">The Nation<\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"collection__row\">\n<div class=\"collections__card   \">\n            <a class=\"collections__card-image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/world\/trump-end-nato-mafia\/\" 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src=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Trump_NATO_Sideeye.jpg\" alt=\"Trump\u2019s Mafia Shakedown Might Destroy NATO\u2014if We\u2019re Lucky\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"collections__card-content\">\n<p class=\"dek\">\nAmerica\u2019s greedy gangster president is forcing European elites to finally reckon with the high price of protection.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"knockout \">\n<p>                                                                <a class=\"collections__author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/jeet-heer\/\">Jeet Heer<\/a>                                    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"collections__card   \">\n            <a class=\"collections__card-image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/world\/ukraine-leonid-chaplain-nomerchuk-russia\/\" aria-label=\"A Priest Races to Rescue Civilians as Russian Forces Close In\"><br \/>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"collections__card-image\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Leonid_Knees.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Leonid_Knees-275x173.jpg 275w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Leonid_Knees-768x484.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Leonid_Knees-810x510.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Leonid_Knees-340x215.jpg 340w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Leonid_Knees-168x106.jpg 168w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Leonid_Knees-382x240.jpg 382w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Leonid_Knees-793x500.jpg 793w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Leonid_Knees.jpg\" alt=\"Leonid \u201cChaplan\u201d Numerchuk gets on his knees to beg a woman to evacuate from the embattled Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk in late January. She had requested an evacuation, but changed her mind when rescuers arrived, and ultimately stayed in her home.\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"collections__card-content\">\n<p class=\"dek\">\nMeet Leonid Nomerchuk, the 39-year-old priest evacuating civilians from Ukrainian villages under Russian missile and drone attack.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"knockout \">\n<p>                                                                <a class=\"collections__author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/jared-goyette\/\">Jared Goyette<\/a><span> and <\/span><a class=\"collections__author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/milana-holovan\/\">Milana Holovan<\/a>                                    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"collections__card   \">\n            <a class=\"collections__card-image-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/world\/german-greens-militarism\/\" aria-label=\"How the Greens Became the Driving Force of German Militarism\"><br \/>\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"collections__card-image\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/green-party-germany-getty.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/green-party-germany-getty-275x173.jpg 275w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/green-party-germany-getty-768x484.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/green-party-germany-getty-810x510.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/green-party-germany-getty-340x215.jpg 340w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/green-party-germany-getty-168x106.jpg 168w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/green-party-germany-getty-382x240.jpg 382w, https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/green-party-germany-getty-793x500.jpg 793w\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/green-party-germany-getty.jpg\" alt=\"From left to right, Ricarda Lang, a federal chairperson of B\u00fcndnis 90\/Die Gr\u00fcnen; Terry Reintke, the Greens' lead candidate for the 2024 European elections; and Omid Nouripour, a federal Chairperson of B\u00fcndnis 90\/Die Gr\u00fcnen, react to the first projections at the Greens' election party in the Columbiahalle in Berlin.\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"collections__card-content\">\n<p class=\"dek\">\nThe Greens, founded as a pacifist party, are now enthusiastic cheerleaders for rearmament.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"knockout \">\n<p>                                                                <a class=\"collections__author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/authors\/fabian-scheidler\/\">Fabian Scheidler<\/a>                                    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>        <!-- Tag ID: thenation_btf_medrec --><\/p>\n<p>\t\t        <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"tpContentAuthor\" value=\"Linda Mannheim\"\/><br \/>\n        <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"tpTags\" value=\"armed-conflicts,campaigns-and-elections,civil-unrest,elections,environmental-activism,europe,foreign-policy,racism-and-discrimination,regions-and-countries,social-justice,conservatives-and-the-american-right,world,world-leaders\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script type=\"579d1a6c55580eee3e98e5e3-text\/javascript\">\n\t\t!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n\t\t{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n\t\tn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n\t\tif(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n\t\tn.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n\t\tt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n\t\ts.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,document,'script', 'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n\t\tfbq('init', '233793277040432');\n\t\tfbq('track', 'PageView');\n\t\t\t\t<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>World \/ February 20, 2025 In the wake of Trump\u2019s victory\u2014and his administration\u2019s transformation from staunch ally to sneering adversary\u2014Germany\u2019s firewall against the far right is beginning to crack. Ad Policy The CDU offices in the Berlin district of Tempelhof-Schoeneberg splashed with light-blue paint\u2014the AfDs party\u2019s color.(Courtesy of Linda Mannheim) &#13; Berlin\u2014Even before German federal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":100753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12022],"tags":[11730,42786,20171,15887,27476],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-100752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activist","tag-election","tag-germanys","tag-nation","tag-suddenly","tag-turbulent"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Germany\u2019s Suddenly Turbulent Election | The Nation - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=100752\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Germany\u2019s Suddenly Turbulent Election | The Nation - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"World \/ February 20, 2025 In the wake of Trump\u2019s victory\u2014and his administration\u2019s transformation from staunch ally to sneering adversary\u2014Germany\u2019s firewall against the far right is beginning to crack. 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