Populist parties, such as the AfD in Germany, are enjoying growing popularity around the world. They declare an open, pluralist war on society, and always talk about elites working against the people. What is expected next?
By Hans PFEIFER
Populism has many faces, but the pattern is always the same. Whether it is the world view of Donald Trump in the USA, Narendra Modi in India or the AfD politician Björn Höcke in Germany – there is always talk of the so-called elites working against the people. There is talk of devaluation of parts of society as supposedly enemies of the people. “Them” against “us”. Them “up there” versus us “down here”. Climate crisis, wars, accelerated digitization – populist movements promise salvation to a society for a short time. Vote for us and everything will be better, everything will go back to the supposedly better times of the past. They present themselves as strong, charismatic leaders who will fix anything and everything. When it comes to the rule of law and justice, they declare courts and other democratic institutions to be enemies of the people.
DESIRE FOR A LEADER
The leader of the Alternative for Germany, AfD, for Thuringia Björn Höcke also flirts with the role of “savior of Germany”. The German longing for a historical person who would one day heal all people’s wounds, bridge divisions and set things right is deeply embedded in our souls. I am convinced of this, writes Höcke in his book “Never in the same river twice”. Höcke even made a film about him, which styles him as the emperor of peace Friedrich Barbarossa, who has returned and woke up after a long sleep in a cave in Kyffhäuserberg, to save the empire with his loyal followers.
The growth of populist parties has become a serious challenge for democratic states. The prominent German political scientist Hans Vorländer also thinks so. “What we see is that the central values ​​of right-wing populists are called into question, such as equality, human dignity or the right to freedom from discrimination,” he says. Vorländer has been studying the phenomenon of populism for many years. “It is necessary that to understand that right-wing populist parties will not simply disappear. We have to learn to face them,” he analyzed in an interview with DW. “In Germany it is more difficult than in other countries, because we have seen that such forces can destroy democracy,” he says.
THE DANGER TO DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS
Scientists, politicians and political observers around the world warn of the vulnerability of open societies. The attack on the Capitol in Washington by fanatical Trump supporters on January 6, 2021 showed how timely these warnings were. In Germany, there is more and more evidence of how dangerous the AfD can be for the constitutional state. At the beginning of September, the AfD, a far-right party, was elected for the first time in the history of the Federal Republic as the strongest political force in Thuringia, i.e. the strongest in one state. Björn Höcke was celebrated by his supporters.
In the first parliamentary session after the elections, the party showed how it would behave in case of victory. The first meeting was led by an AfD politician, who ignored the will of the deputies. This was later stopped by the Court. But despite all the research on the dangers and despite all the media reports of lies, conspiracy theories and dangerous propaganda spread by populists, their rise continues. So what should be done?
INVESTMENTS – A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM?
The Institute for the World Economy from Kieil has proposed an interesting solution for Europe – investments. The institute analyzed the impact of public investments in economically weak regions of Europe on right-wing populist parties. The result of the April 2024 study is: In supported regions, the vote share of right-wing populist parties fell by 15 to 20 percent. Simply put, the study’s authors conclude: “€100 of EU regional funding per capita reduces the vote share of right-wing populist parties in a region by an average of 0.5 percentage points.”
Researchers like Hans Vorländer of the Technical University of Dresden agree that much more needs to be invested in political education if we want to protect young people in particular from populist offers on social media. According to Vorländer, it will be more difficult for democratic parties to reach voters in primaries because they would lose their power of integration. “We have to see that party democracy is losing its structure and power. Party democracy is turning into mobile democracy, which is much more unstable.” Björn Höcke speaks at a pre-election rally, also pictured with a German flag with a cross Björn Höcke speaks at a pre-election rally, in the photo also a German flag with a cross.
ENGAGEMENT OF CITIZENS
Experts urge people to be more involved in political decision-making even in the time between elections. Sociologist Steffen Mau, for example, is in favor of so-called citizens’ councils, in which citizens jointly deal with a political issue for a long period of time and make concrete proposals for solving problems. This is intended to moderate extreme positions. Germany is also discussing the final measure against threats to democracy: legal procedures to ban the AfD.
Courts, security services and civil organizations have been confirming and collecting evidence for years about the danger this party presents. Such a party ban has major legal obstacles in Germany. It must be requested by the Bundestag, the Bundesrat or the federal government. It is then reviewed in Germany’s highest court: the Constitutional Court. In the history of the Federal Republic, parties have been banned only twice. The last time was in 1956. Political scientist Hans Vorländer believes that such a demand is justified: “Democratic parties must make it clear that they are ready to show their limits”. (DW)
