Opinion: A disgrace for Germany

A state premier has been elected to office with direct support from the far-right nationalist AfD. The utter breach of taboo shows just how weak opposition to the rise of the right in Germany really is, says Ines Pohl.

Exactly one week ago, on January 29, 2020, Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, ceremoniously commemorated the victims of the Holocaust. The ceremony marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.

And now, exactly one week later, this: A member of the business-friendly Free Democratic Party (FDP) has been elected premier of the eastern German state of Thuringia with help from the far-right nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

It was a vote that shocked Germany. One that provides ample proof that state politicians […] CDU and the FDP […] clearly do not understand their historic responsibility. […]that now presents the country’s democratic parties with a crucial test, […]

Does lust for power trump moral responsibility?

The coming weeks will show whether the oft-repeated promises made by prominent German politicians to never form a coalition with the AfD have any meaning, or whether a lust for power is stronger than their professed convictions. […]

Germans forgetting their history

This notable day should be one that shakes Germans to the core. Now, democratic parties must show how firmly they stand. […]

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