The U.S. presidential election is worrisome, but state elections in the three East German states in September are also a sobering concern. The schedule is as follows: Thuringia and Saxony vote on Sept. 1 and Brandenburg follows on Sept. 22.
In the East German region, the far-right party Alternative for Germany the AfD has the number one support and could win this election. In fact, the AfD has the second highest support in the whole country.
Although the CDU is certain to win next year's general election in Germany, the AfD may still come in second place. You may think that in Germany, after the war, people have learned about past war crimes in school education (unlike in Japan).
The reason why the far-right party is so strong in East Germany is that they are looked down upon by the citizens of West Germany, their salaries are apparently low, and they are just plain dissatisfied, and the AfD is the recipient of their discontent.
On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall collapsed, ending the Cold War between East and West, and there was a concert of Beethoven's 9th in front of the Brandenburg Gate in a festive mood.
Now, more than 30 years later, I know that the physical wall has collapsed, but the emotional wall has not yet collapsed.
August is almost over. The days of uncertainty will continue.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/what-watch-germanys-upcoming-state-elections-2024-08-23/
