Across Europe, the far right — the National Rally in France, Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy — continues to rise as immigration becomes a litmus test, alongside concerns over the economy. 3 min readSep 10, 2026 06:05 AM IST First published on: Sep 10, 2026 at 06:05 AM IST
It is tempting to reduce the AfD’s victory to region-specific factors: A relatively poor and ageing electorate in former East Germany; a territory that has, over the years, become its stronghold. But the party that wants to institute separate classes for children of refugees and seeks better ties with Russia is also leading in national opinion polls and is ahead of the Social Democratic Party in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where state elections are due on September 20. The AfD has capitalised on a sense of voter grievance, making immigration and economic uncertainty its principal planks. Immigration has been the defining political issue since the European refugee crisis of 2015, but it has acquired greater force amid weak growth, high energy costs and anxieties about jobs that have undermined the confidence that once sustained the political centre. The export-heavy industrial model that contributed to German prosperity for decades has also come under severe strain due to the rise of China. The AfD has brought these disparate frustrations together and convinced voters of the inability of the established parties to address them. The firewall strategy has, in turn, helped it to portray itself as the only authentic opposition to a political system whose principal point of unity appears to be stopping the AfD.