German elections: Far-right AfD falls short of first place in both German state elections – by Claire Stam

The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) achieved historical gains in crucial elections in the eastern German states of Saxony and Brandenburg but Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU and its socialist coalition partner remain the strongest political parties, allowing the current grand coalition to hold until 2021.

Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) remain the strongest party in Saxony with 32% (down from 39,4% in the last elections in 2014), with the AfD and the German Greens (Bündnis90/Die Grünen) achieving their best election results in the history of Saxony regional elections (respectively 27,3% and 8,8% vs 9,7% and 5,7%). The Social-Democrats (SPD) came out with a record low of 7,9%, compared to 12,4% five years ago.

In Brandenburg, the state neighbouring Berlin, the SPD held on to the top spot with 27.2%, albeit down from 31.9% in the previous election in 2014, while the AfD rose to 22,7%, up from 12,2% in the last elections, and the Greens reached 10,2%, from 6,2% five years ago.

Left-Wing Die Linke, which has historically performed well in eastern Germany, turns out to be a big loser in both states where voters who traditionally chose the party as a form of protest clearly migrated to the AfD.

Read more: Far-right AfD falls short of first place in both German state elections – EURACTIV.com

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Germany: AfD leader Frauke Petry stuns Germany by quitting hours after being elected - by Emma Beswick

Just one day after her party’s success in the German federal elections yesterday (September 24), Frauke Petry, co-chair of far-right party Alternative for Germany, said she would not be part of the parliamentary group.

Read more: AfD leader Frauke Petry stuns Germany by quitting hours after being elected | Euronews

EU Refugee crises: AfD politician says churches ′making billions′ from refugee crisis

A regional leader from Germany's populist AfD party has accused churches of exploiting the refugee crisis to make a profit. Church organizations have hit back, describing the comments as incendiary and baseless.

Petr Bystron, the head of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the southern state of Bavaria, alleged Thursday that German churches were earning "billions of euros per year" from the surge in refugee arrivals in Europe.

"This phony public image of reaching out to refugees is also financing a gigantic charity industry under the organizational roof of the churches," he wrote in an article at Huffington Post on Wednesday.

Germany took in more than 1 million people in 2015 - more than any other European country. Church charities have played a significant role in providing resources such as counseling services and shelters for refugees. But Bystron said these organizations were making money "under the guise" of providing charity.

An AfD spokesman told the German news agency DPA that Bystron's position had not been endorsed by the party's national board.

Read more: AfD politician says churches ′making billions′ from refugee crisis | News | DW.COM | 26.05.2016

Right wing resurgence in the EU: "Take the German AfD seriously – or you'll end up like us in France": by Christophe Bourdoiseau

Marie le Pen of the FN party in France

For a long time France ignored the Front National – now it's the nation's strongest party. Germany should not repeat this mistake in its dealings with Nationalist  AfD party.

Frauke Petry, the ambitious leader of the nationalist Alternative for Germany Party (AfD), is already snapping at Angela Merkel’s heels.

When it comes to presidential elections in France, I haven't voted for a political progran 30 years. The whole time I've simply been voting against the Front National (FN). It's not a democratic act, it's resistance. It doesn't have to come to that with the AfD in Germany.

Over the past 20 years, reunified Germany has become a model for democracy and integration in Europe. The nation has changed in incredibly positive ways. The Germans are confident and popular again in the world. Their behaviour during the refugee crisis has been exemplary.

Now, the rise of this far-right party has become a threat to Germany's inner peace. The AfD may be compared with the FN in France: against the system, against Europe, against Islam.

Both offer formulas that question our democratic values and that will divide civil society. The AfD is not yet as strong as the FN in France.

That′s why, when it comes to dealing with right-wing extremists, German politicians should learn from French errors.

Firstly, the danger must be taken seriously. The first mistake France made was to ignore the FN. French politicians thought they could continue to govern without taking any notice of the FN. They thought the FN was not France.

For too long, the media also boycotted the FN – or more accurately: ignored the party without confronting its arguments with facts. For ages, people in France have been talking about the "lying media". Journalists are also coming under attack from militants who are convinced that the media are protecting mainstream parties.

The right-wing propaganda has worked. A consensus is being found in a mood that is anti-Islamic, anti-European and even anti-German. Even in the village in deepest France where I've always enjoyed talking to the friendly people in the summer holidays, 42 percent gave their vote to the FN. There are virtually no foreigners there.

The French discourse no longer revolves around "Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite", but increasingly around the issue of security. The essential question is whether Islam belongs to our society; there is a serious debate going on today over whether the Muslims will replace "us" in the end. Where have we ended up?

To fight the right-wing extremists, French politicians repeatedly warned voters: help us to combat the FN – with your votes for us. Many politicians remained in power with this "anti-FN" strategy, although they were themselves the cause of the right-wing extremism. But what use is a vote "against the FN", if the same politicians are embroiled in affairs and make false promises?

The misguided approach to the FN has been making French democracy sick for 30 years. The mainstream parties are split and have lost their orientation. Most react in panic and try to copy the FN, to salvage what can still be salvaged.

Similarly, poking fun at the AfD is no solution. We tried that in France. The CDU experienced this in Saxony, claiming that the state was immune to right-wing extremism. I also heard that said in France. 20 years ago.

The CDU in Saxony is now harvesting the fruits of its blind politics, just as we are in France.

Fortunately, Germany's political system is still staffed with upstanding folk, but the tendency of some politicians towards a tougher stance on minorities shows that the failure of Saxony can be repeated elsewhere. Sections of the CSU are attempting to overtake the AfD on the right.

What a mistake! Voters don't want a copy, they'll choose the original. This is exactly what happened in France. It will be exactly the same in Germany. By pursuing such a strategy, the C-parties will be split.

German politicians must stay on course. They should provide arguments in favour of the constitutional state and democracy and show no understanding when it comes to the right wing. In France people used to say that the FN was asking good questions, but not coming up with any good solutions.

Now, the French view the FN as a genuine alternative. Over the past 20 years, I have seen the constitutional state on the gradual retreat in France.

It's almost like the old days in East Germany: expatriation as a weapon for greater security. Which politician seriously believes that this can stop the terrorists? A policy agreed by a left-wing government to entice voters away from the FN.

But in the end, the FN will win again. In the 2014 European elections, it was the strongest party in France capturing almost 25 percent of the vote. In the 2017 presidential election, it could emerge as the strongest force before the run-off ballot.

 And again, I will vote for a candidate whom I would not normally choose to put up resistance "against the FN". For how much longer?

Read more: Take the AfD seriously – or you'll end up like us