Mike “Mish” Shedlock's
Sitka Pacific Capital Management,Llc
State elections in the German states of Brandenburg and Saxony are on September 1. AfD could win both of them.
The anti-immigration, anti-euro AfD party took the lead in Brandenburg in three of the last five polls in Brandenburg and is within striking distance in Saxony.
Brandenburg Polls
Saxony Polls
CDU pulled ahead in the tow most recent polls but with so many parties in play, the results are within the margin of error of an AfD win.
The Local asks Could the far-right AfD really win in upcoming German state elections?
All eyes are on eastern Germany as elections take place in Saxony and Brandenburg on Sunday, September 1st.
And, for the first time in German history, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) could win in state elections – and make it extremely difficult for the established parties to form a government.
The elections will also send shockwaves to Berlin where the so-called grand coalition between Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) is already on shaky grounds.
Brandenburg's government is currently run by a coalition between the SPD and The Left, who have governed together since 2009, with Dietmar Woidke from the Social Democrats as state premier.
Parties have said they will not work with the AfD, so after the vote they will be scrambling around to try and form a coalition that would stop the group from coming to power.
The AfD in Brandenburg is making waves over their use of campaign posters – not for the first time. For this election, the slogan is "Wende 2.0". Wende (turnaround) describes the period of political change when the Berlin Wall fell and Germany was reunified. Many have slammed the party for appropriating German history for their own gain.
With slogans such as "Vollende die Wende" (complete the turnaround), the party is implying that if voters opt for them, they can finish the work of those who led the Peaceful Revolution.
The AfD has also been slammed for displaying former SPD Chancellor Willy Brandt on its electoral campaign posters.
The posters show Brandt captioned with his quote: "Dare to be more democratic!" Underneath the caption is the AfD's logo alongside "Vote for the AfD!" and "We're writing history!"
Choking on More Europe
Even Germany is choking on more Europe.
It't going to take a strange coalition to form a majority after the next election.
This material is based upon information that Sitka Pacific Capital Management considers reliable and endeavors to keep current, Sitka Pacific Capital Management does not assure that this material is accurate, current or complete, and it should not be relied upon as such.
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