Monday 24 Feb 2025 @ 12:20
Chatham House
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German election: Far-right firewall weakens as immigration concerns take centre stage

EXPERT COMMENT

With Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) on the rise, frontrunner Friedrich Merz’s attempts to outflank the far right on migration are ignoring the real solutions to Germany’s problems.

Germany’s elections on Sunday will take place against a backdrop of economic, societal and political turmoil. 

Firstly, Germany’s economy is struggling. Concerns about US President Donald Trump’s potential tariffs on goods from the EU are very real for a country that, alongside China and the US, is one of the world’s three largest exporters. What is more, Germany’s share of industrial work has steadily declined, plummeting from 40 per cent in 1990 to just 27 per cent today. Its troubled industrial sector has dragged eurozone manufacturing into reverse.

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Original article link: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2025/02/german-election-far-right-firewall-weakens-immigration-concerns-take-centre-stage

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