Berlin, 22 Sep 2024. The results of the state election in Brandenburg mark a drastic shift for democracy and instill fear in many people across the country. With an expected 29 percent of the vote, the far-right AfD has become the second strongest political force in Brandenburg. In Saxony and Thuringia, the party achieved historic successes with 30.6 and 32.8 percent of the vote, respectively.

“The AfD poses a threat to our democratic and peaceful coexistence. Many people feel personally threatened by the significant support for a far-right party, and not just in Brandenburg. This is the third consecutive election in which far-right extremists dominated the campaign, forcing democratic parties to respond to their agenda. These results starkly reveal how deeply rooted far-right ideas are in Germany and how they continue to gain traction. We must confront this, as this danger will not disappear in the foreseeable future – we must defend democracy against these enemies,” emphasizes Timo Reinfrank, Executive Director of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation.

Trivialization of the AfD Brandenburg is Incomprehensible – Democratic Parties Must Not Be Driven by Fear

Brandenburg has long taken a strong stance against right-wing extremism, developing effective strategies ranging from prevention to law enforcement. “However, the right-wing extremism we face today is different from what we encountered ten years ago. Parties and administrations have been too slow to appropriately respond to the evolving threat of parliamentary right-wing extremism. It is utterly incomprehensible why Brandenburg’s AfD branch has not been classified as definitively far-right by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, despite its radicalization. State politics must finally take decisive action against far-right networks and ideologies and openly explore a federal ban of the AfD. It is no coincidence that the secret ‘remigration’ meeting, which mobilized millions of people against far-right extremists in January, took place in Potsdam. In several regions, right-wing extremism holds hegemonic power, and civil society engagement for our democracy is only possible there under threat to life and limb,” warns Reinfrank.

Moreover, in Brandenburg, a racist and anti-immigrant campaign played a central role, stoking fears and deepening societal divisions. Democratic parties failed to provide an effective response, lacking own ideas. Instead, they allowed themselves to be driven by the far-right narrative, which strengthened many voters in their decision to support the AfD.

Federal Government Must Take Stronger Action – Danger for Western Germany

“The election results in Thuringia, Saxony, and now Brandenburg show that it is not enough to leave the fight against right-wing extremism to the individual states. As the political influence of right-wing extremists grows, the parliamentary means of the states are becoming increasingly weaker. The federal government must take responsibility to stop the far-right’s territorial gains in East Germany. Defending democracy must become a top priority,” demands Reinfrank. He suggests making the promotion of democracy a central theme at the Prime Ministers’ Conference in October 2024 and allocating more resources to innovative projects in East Germany through the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs’ Demokratie Leben! program. Reinfrank also warns that the rest of the country must not ignore the far-right threat: “If we look at the current trend of AfD support in the East and fail to curb radicalization, in three years, we could be facing similar conditions across all of Germany.”

“Promoting Democracy” Law for Brandenburg – Investing in Democracy

The Amadeu Antonio Foundation calls for sustained funding of civil society initiatives: “Our democracy and, by extension, our future are at stake. Now is the time to provide long-term support to civil society projects in order to erode the foundations of anti-democratic sentiment. Alongside the urgent passage of a federal Democracy Promotion Law, I would also recommend that Brandenburg enact its own state-level funding law,” says Reinfrank.