Germany's rightwing AfD party struggles to cope with internal crisis
Source: The Guardian
Germany's rightwing AfD party struggles to cope with internal crisis
Alternative für Deutschlands support has slumped since a leading
politician called for Germany to stop atoning for its Nazi past
Philip Oltermann in Berlin
Monday 27 February 2017 06.00 GMT
Buoyed first by a Greek debt crisis and then by an unprecedented influx of refugees to Europe, the rise of Germanys rightwing populist Alternative für Deutschland party has at times looked inevitable, leading one politician recently to predict a total victory for his party in the coming federal elections.
With less than seven months to go, however, the AfD engine is suddenly sputtering. Over the past week, three separate polls have shown support for the party slip below 10%, down from a record high of 15% last September.
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While the AfD has continuously outperformed pollsters estimations in the past, and entering parliament would represent a triumph for a political group formed only four years ago, observers say it is hard to see how the partys troubles could easily resolve themselves before September.
The AfDs current crisis was triggered in mid-January through a taboo-breaking speech by the rightwinger Björn Höcke, who in a beer hall in Dresden called for a 180 degree turn in Germanys culture of remembering and atoning for the Nazi era.
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Read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/27/germany-rightwing-afd-party-struggles-internal-crisis