Legislative assembly of the European Union
In the political landscape of Germany, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been making waves as a far-right populist party with nationalist and anti-immigration leanings. The party, which rose to prominence in the mid-2010s, has been strategically working to soften its public image while maintaining its core ideologies.
The AfD's electoral campaigns have been characterised by populist and nationalist rhetoric, a calculated effort to appear more acceptable publicly, and a strategic deployment of polarising rhetoric to sharpen political divides. The party's website, adorned with a blue colour scheme and the slogan "Time for Germany," is a testament to this approach. However, a recent assessment of the AfD's campaign has found it to be perceived as boring, crude, dull, and somewhat malicious.
The AfD's election videos, it seems, are not well-received, with no one voluntarily watching them again. The party's campaign posters are also conspicuously absent from the streets of Berlin and Kiel. The visual language on the AfD's Instagram is conventional to silly, with drawings resembling the DDR comic Mosaik. This conventional approach, some argue, is a far cry from the giant Tur Tur from Michael Ende's novel, implying a sense of fear and apprehension.
Despite this, the AfD has managed to secure significant electoral success in the federal elections of February 2025, becoming the second-largest party in the Bundestag. This success, however, is not attributed to the party's campaign, rhetorical power, new slogans, or social media presence. Instead, it is seen as a result of the public's dissatisfaction with the incumbent government and the AfD's ability to channel anger over militaristic, anti-working-class, and anti-immigrant policies pursued by the traditional parties.
The Democrats, on the other hand, have been criticised for contributing to the AfD's image as an alternative. By extensively referring to their return, the Democrats are seen as allowing a quarter of the population to act as if they are the majority. The Democrats' downfall, some argue, is not due to poor TikTok videos, but because they tell weak and powerless stories about themselves.
The AfD is perceived as "anti-woke" and provocative, but not original on social media. Its appeal, it is implied, lies in the fact that a quarter of the population is "nasty, narrow-minded, racist, and xenophobic nationalists." Interestingly, the AfD's social media presence, particularly on TikTok, is reportedly stronger than the assessor's party.
In conclusion, the AfD's background as a far-right populist party and its election campaigns combine ideological hardline nationalism with calculated efforts to appear more acceptable publicly, while deeply polarizing the political landscape in Germany. The Democrats, on the other hand, are currently in the process of disappearing internationally, with their inability to tell compelling and powerful stories about themselves contributing to their downfall.
- The AfD's approach to policy and legislation is centered around hardline nationalism, a stance that is designed to appeal to a specific segment of the population.
- The rise of the AfD in German politics can partly be attributed to the public's frustration with the incumbent government's policies on war and conflicts, particularly those perceived as militaristic or anti-working class.
- Education and self-development are not among the AfD's core priorities, as evidenced by their lack of focus on these areas in their political rhetoric.
- Personal growth and mindfulness are concepts not typically associated with the AFD's platform, and they are rarely addressed in the party's speeches or public statements.
- Sports, including European leagues like the premier league, are generally kept at arm's length by the AfD, with little to no engagement in discussions about sports policy.
- Career development and job-search resources are not commonly provided by the AfD, and they do not actively support initiatives aimed at improving these areas.
- The party's lackluster performance in terms of election videos and campaign posters has not gone unnoticed, with the visual language on their social media platforms being seen as conventional to silly.
- Crime and justice are issues that the AfD does address, albeit from a polarizing perspective, causing concern in the international general news community.
- The AfD's opposition to migration, and their anti-immigrant stance, is a key component of their platform, and one of the primary reasons for their political success.
- Car accidents and fires are not common topics in the AfD's political rhetoric, and they do not actively campaign on issues related to these types of incidents.
- The AfD's skills training programs, if they exist, are not well-known, and there is little information available about their effectiveness or impact on the workforce.
