Despite right-wing parties winning a majority in the recent German elections, a coalition between Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and the left-leaning Social Democratic Party (SPD) has formed. This decision to bypass the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which came in second place, is driven by concerns about the AfD's past and its perceived inability to fully distance itself from Germany's Nazi legacy.
The CDU-SPD coalition has led to significant policy compromises. Proposed conservative reforms, such as reinstating military conscription, have been blocked by the SPD. Other key policy areas, such as immigration and minimum wage, also reflect compromises that appear to slow down, rather than expedite, reform.
These compromises have drawn criticism, with some arguing that they represent a failure to deliver on voter demands for “real political change.”
The AfD, currently polling as Germany's most popular party, is not idle. The party recently dissolved its youth wing, the “Young Alternative,” which had been labeled a right-wing extremist group, potentially attempting to broaden its appeal. While this is seen by some as a step toward mainstream participation, the ongoing debate regarding the AfD's potential for participation in German democratic politics is indicative of the nation's larger political dilemmas. Even as some voices call for banning the AfD, its current popularity remains undeniable.
The situation evokes comparisons to 1929, where a similar disregard for rising extremist parties led to eventual catastrophe. The current coalition’s compromises raise concerns that a similar path might be underway.