‘We are the party of the youth!’ When the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party launched its state election campaign over the summer in the former east Germany, its lead candidate for Brandenburg Christoph Berndt confidently declared that the party would do well thanks to the legions of young voters it had seduced. Today, as the dust settles on the results of Thuringia and Saxony’s state elections, it appears that Berndt’s predictions have come to pass.
According to data published by the pollsters Infratest Dimap, 38 per cent of those aged between 18 and 24 voted for the AfD in Thuringia on Sunday. In neighbouring Saxony, 31 per cent did the same. In both states, the party was able to increase its vote share among this age group by at least 11 per cent to become the most popular party with young Germans. Approximately one in three Germans under the age of 34 voted for the AfD.
Approximately one in three Germans under the age of 34 voted for the AfD
Politicians in Berlin will be viewing this weekend’s results with mounting panic.
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