The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has delivered a real shock to the established parties. Because the right-wing populist party now provides a district administrator in Germany for the first time after a second round in the Thuringian district of Sonneberg.
According to a current national survey, only 20 percent of those surveyed are very satisfied or satisfied with the work of the traffic light coalition in Berlin, the AfD – especially in East Germany – flying high. The provisional highlight of this development took place in Sonneberg on Sunday.
52.8 percent of the vote meant that Robert Stuhlmann won the second round. His challenger from the CDU, Jürgen Köpper, lost despite the support of the left, the SPD, the Greens and the FDP. Stuhlmann had already won almost 47 percent of the vote in the first round. This makes the 50-year-old, who works as a lawyer, the first top municipal official in the AfD.
High symbolic effect
Powers are limited. This is the chairman of the Sonneberg district council, who implements the resolutions and represents the district externally. Yet this success has a high symbolic value for the party, which has been identified by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a suspected case of right-wing extremism. Political scientists also largely agree that the exclusionary strategies of the other parties are not working.
Stuhlmann: “We have to go back to substantive politics”
Incidentally, Stuhlmann wants to “write history” in the state elections in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg. After his victory, however, he announced that he wanted to cooperate with all political parties. “We have to put down the ideological boundaries and get back to actual politics.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
