For decades, Germany prided itself on being the European exception – the country where the far right had no place in mainstream politics. While far-right parties gained power across the continent – Meloni leading Italy, Sweden’s hard-right bloc shaping government policy, Le Pen inching closer to the French presidency – Germany held firm. Its history made cooperation with the far right politically unthinkable.
But political taboos may not last forever. The far-right AfD is now Germany’s second-most popular party. Mainstream conservatives, once staunchly opposed to working with them, are shifting. The CDU just passed an anti-immigration motion with AfD support, and pressure is mounting to reconsider long-held red lines.
Supporters say this is just democracy at work. Critics warn that once the door opens to the far right, it never closes. Will Germany stick to its principles – or follow the rest of Europe into a new political reality?
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