Well, the results in the state election in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern were even worse than I had feared and the neo-Nazis got more than enough votes to participate in the state assembly:
In the end, the result was as bad as everyone had feared. Germany’s neo-Nazis pulled off a widely anticipated electoral coup last night, with the far-right winning 7.3 % of the vote during elections in the north east state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The NPD comfortably exceeded the 5 % hurdle necessary to win seats. It will now sit in the state’s regional assembly in Schwerin for the first time. This is the second time that the NPD has got into a regional parliament in three years, confirming fears that the party is now an established part of the political landscape, especially in Germany’s depressed former communist east.
Voter disillusionment with the performance of Angela Merkel and the Grand Coalition government kept voter participation at an all-time low (for Germany) – 59%. But, according to the NPD Blog, even a record turn-out would not have kept the NPD out of the state government.
The results shocked and disappointed the main parties: especially the CDU saw a decline in its standing in this home-state of Angela Merkel. And there has been the usual hand-wringing – what to do? The first instinct is to revive the call for a ban of the right-wing extremist parties. But what would such a ban really accomplish? That would be like shooting the messenger. I really had no idea how bleak the situation was in eastern Germany, and how economic despair is eroding any faith in democracy:
Die Zahl derer, die in Westdeutschland eine andere Staatsform als die Demokratie besser finden, ist von 9 Prozent im Jahr 2000 auf 17 Prozent 2005 gestiegen (Ostdeutschland: von 27 auf 41 Prozent). Am kritischsten der real existierenden Demokratie gegenüber sind – wen wundert’s – die Arbeitslosen (und im übrigen die Arbeiter). Dass der Sozialismus eine gute Idee sei, finden im übrigen 76 Prozent der Bürger in den neuen Bundesländern und 45 Prozent in Westdeutschland. Insgesamt wird die Demokratie als Staatsform zwar von der überwiegenden Mehrheit der west- und ostdeutschen Bürger befürwortet, aber die Akzeptanz hat abgenommen.
The promise of German reunification has turned out to be a farce: east Germany – at least Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – has lost all connection to the west, the people neglected, the youth treated with contempt. Is it any wonder they turn to the violent fantasies of the neo-Nazis? "You despise us, but we will teach you to fear us." This is a population without any hope in the future. The main political parties must come up with better solutions than simply threatening to ban the only organizations that have bothered to engage these people.
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bullshitting again. In your last entry you carefully nurture a Nazi myth about WW2 POW camps. You directed my to a fascist blog to “prove” that you meant only good.
In this entry you start the stereotypical german-bashing to appear as “leftist” to your fellow citizens.
Dude, the NPD and consorts are exactly the same as your “Republicans”. But, they don’t hold 50% of the vote here. Most people in the rural communities simply voted for them *despite* the credentials because for there are no other protest parties. The Greens are at an all-time low, did you notice that for example. Your country does not even have a Green Party to speak of, the only alternative there would some LaRouchian nutters if people were meant to express any kind of dissatisfaction with how things are going.
What “Nazi blog” did I link to? Wikipedia? And how is pointing out election results “German bashing”?
the right wing here in Germany is very dangerous… let’s cooperate against the NPD! Please, let’s add our pages to our blogroll. Thank you.
“Democracy Under Siege in East Germany” is a bit of exaggeration IMHO.
The percentage numbers you quote are of concern, but democracy is not “under siege.”
I certainly agree that panic is not in order. The National Front in France has, at various times, won a higher percentage of the vote than the NPD just did – yet its impact in French poltics has been predictably negligable.
Are you honestly concerned that the NPD is every going to gain a significant following? I just don’t see it. Protest parties tend to disappear when their lack of a coherent agenda becomes obvious to the voters.
@Fry,
The NPD’s influence will – at this time – most likely be restricted to the poorer rural regions of eastern Germany.
But I don’t agree that their success is simply a result of a “protest vote”. The NPD and the neo-Nazis have grassroots support – fostered by the “Kameradschaften”, a social networking outlet for young males.
See today’s report in Der Spiegel:
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/0,1518,438175,00.html
Ehh…they still don’t scare me.
Look, these people are idiots. I think the German government takes the wrong tack with right-wing parties. Banning them is not only contrary to free speech, but ultimately futile, as all it does is feed the underground movement.
Let the NPD take their seats. Will they create jobs? No. Will they create wealth? No. All they’re do is spout off in the Bundestag and focus attention on the fact that they have no plan.
If Germany’s mainstream parties had the guts to attack the country’s core issues (inflexible labor, high social welfare costs, etc.) the NPD would have nothing to talk about.
Dave, I think you’d better have labeled NPD-Blog a neonazi watch-blog, no surprise some folks think you link to the NPD.
The problem in the five eastern federal states is the reluctance of their populations to join the established democratic parties. These parties simply don’t have the manpower to conduct larger campaigns against right wing extremists – nor against left wing extremists as well who are even more successful than their nazi counterparts. No wonder that both ends of the political spectrum gain momentum in times of worsening social conditions. Extremists are always better in mobilizing their voters than their democratic rivals.