The far-right party surges in support amid US endorsements and Russian influence.
Last week, in late February 2025, the German election saw its highest voter participation since it’s unification in 1990, with a turnout of 82.5%.
In a groundbreaking shift for the country’s politics, the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) secured a historic second-place finish, winning 20.8% of the vote.
This marks a crucial breakthrough for the party, which has capitalised on growing discontent among the German public over issues such as immigration, economic stagnation and dissatisfaction with the former Ampelkoalition (traffic light) coalition.
The AfD’s rise has not only reshaped Germany’s political landscape but also highlighted the normalisation of far-right ideologies throughout Europe.
There are also major implications for Germany’s foreign policy, particularly due to the party’s pro-Russia stance and alignment with prominent figures in US President Donald Trump’s circle, such as Elon Musk and JD Vance.
Founded in 2013 on the basis of Euroscepticism, the party opposed Germany’s bailout of southern EU countries during the financial crisis.
Originally, the AfD was focused primarily on economic issues. The party then underwent a dramatic evolution following the 2015 refugee crisis, when Germany welcomed over 1 million refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.
This influx, which increased Germany’s population of 81 million by 1.2%, became a rallying cry for the AfD, which became increasingly anti-immigration.
This also led the party to focus on the preservation of traditional German cultural values, which has led some critics to describe it as xenophobic.
The rhetoric of the party has grown more extreme over time, with slogans such as “Islam does not belong to Germany” dominating its messaging.
The AfD has called for large-scale repatriations of immigrants and opposed LGBTQ+ rights, aligning itself with conservative movements in the US and elsewhere.
In 2016, its manifesto explicitly rejected multiculturalism. Groups associated with the party have advocated for blood-based citizenship, defining anyone with a migrant heritage as not ‘properly German’.
This rhetoric led to the AfD being officially suspected of extremism, as ruled by a German court, which
believes that these blocs within the party aim to create a two-tier society, where individuals with a migration background are given a legally devalued status.
The strongest support for the AfD comes from eastern Germany, where it secured a projected 34% of the vote in some regions.
Historically the area has been less economically advanced than the west and has become a hotbed of resentment towards the federal government and a fertile ground for the nationalist messaging of the AfD.
Many eastern Germans feel left behind by reunification and view immigrants as competition in the pursuit of jobs and housing.
The party also capitalised on frustration with the traffic light coalition, which consisted of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and Alliance 90/The Greens, which faced criticism for gridlock and low approval ratings and subsequently collapsed in November 2024.
The AfD’s success was further driven by its strong social media presence.
Sky News reported that experts monitoring online activity identified the involvement of Russian-based groups, including “Doppelganger” and “Storm-1516,” which were also active in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, using deepfake videos and AI-generated content to spread disinformation and sway public opinion.
Within Germany, AI-generated influencers and propaganda have amplified extremist messages, with reports indicating that the AfD utilizes generative AI more than any other party to shape political discourse.
A major controversial aspect of the AfD’s platform is its pro-Russia stance. The party has consistently opposed sanctions on Russia and criticised Germany’s military aid to Ukraine, aligning itself with the Kremlin’s interests.
This position has drawn scrutiny from German security services, which have accused the AfD of spreading Russian narratives and contributing to right-wing extremism.
The party’s ties to Russian politicians and organisations, have further raised concerns about its role in undermining Germany’s democratic system.
The AfD’s alignment with Russia is further concerning due to the backing it has received from key members of Donald Trump’s inner circle.
Particularly given Trump’s recent anti-Ukrainian turn, and public clash with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
During the election campaign, the AfD received endorsements from Elon Musk and U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
In January 2025, Elon Musk made a virtual appearance at an AfD rally, urging the crowd to “move on” from “past guilt” and drawing widespread criticism.
Vance met with AfD Leader Alice Weidel in Munich prior to the election, and his endorsement of the AfD sparked outrage in Germany, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticising the move as unwelcome election interference.
Vance’s speech expressed his support of far-right, anti-immigration parties and criticised the suppression of conservative voices.
By meeting with the AfD, Vance broke a major taboo in German politics, reinforcing concerns about growing transatlantic engagement with nationalist movements.
A strategic approach of German resistance to such far-right engagement is the concept “firewall against
the far-right” (Brandmauer), designed to prevent mainstream parties from legitimising or cooperating with extremist factions.
The principle gained renewed urgency following mass anti-extremism protests in 2024, where hundreds of thousands of demonstrators invoked historical warnings against authoritarianism with slogans like “Never again is now” (Nie Weider ist jetzt!)
Underscoring the party’s radicalism, the AfD was expelled from the Identity and Democracy (ID) group, a pan-European alliance of far-right parties in the European Parliament.
The decision came in May 2024, after a series of scandals, including controversial remarks by AfD politicians, such as a senior member suggesting that the Nazi SS were “not all criminals.”
The expulsion further isolated the party on the European stage, highlighting concerns over its extremist ties and rhetoric.
The AfD’s historic election success marks a shift in Germany’s political landscape, but its extremist rhetoric, pro-Russia stance, and foreign ties have sparked major concerns.
Classified as a suspected threat to democracy, the party faces intelligence monitoring and, attempts to counter the AfD by adopting its rhetoric risk legitimising its agenda.
As Germany grapples with the party’s rise, the “firewall against the far-right” remains essential in resisting
the normalisation of extremism.
However, the AfD’s success also signals a broader trend of far-right movements gaining traction across Europe, posing profound questions about the future of democracy, amid rising right-wing populism and shifting global alliances.
