Blunting the Far Right, Merkel Gains as German Election Nears
Oskar Niedermayer said that Ever since Ms. Merkel has shifted her policies and allowed fewer refugees into Germany,
that issue is no longer helping the Alternative for Germany,
1, 2017
ANNABERG-BUCHHOLZ, Germany — Taking the stage, Chancellor Angela Merkel thanked the thousands of Germans who had turned out at a recent campaign rally, and then leveled her gaze at a small
but noisy knot of right-wing protesters yelling and blowing whistles at the back of the square.
In the tumultuous aftermath of the refugee crisis, protest was what many Germans wanted,
and last year the Alternative for Germany made record gains in five state elections.
While the Alternative for Germany appears poised to enter Parliament for the first time — a potentially historic
breakthrough for the far right — the movement has found itself struggling to reach double-digits in the polls.
"Some want to listen, but others can only shout," the chancellor scolded, singling
out the protesters from the far-right Alternative for Germany party.
"Many people do vote for the Alternative for Germany, not because they agree with their positions,
but out of protest against the other parties," noted Hendrik Träger, a political scientist with the University of Leipzig.
