The Illusionary Giant of German Politics: The AfD? (TruLies Blog by Timo Lochocki)
Despite the recent successes of the right wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), could it turn out to be but an illusionary giant? In his contribution to the TruLies Blog, Timo Lochocki names four reasons, why the AfD’s polling might collapse over the next year. Lochocki sees striking vulnerabilities that might substantially decrease popular support until Germany’s federal election in September 2017.
This article was first published on the d|part blog as part of a series of national experts commenting on the rise of populist parties across Europe. d|part is an independent, non-profit and non-partisan think tank based in Berlin, focusing on research and debate about various forms of political participation. Timo Lochocki is a transatlantic fellow with the Europe program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and a lecturer for European Politics at Humboldt University Berlin.
The project “TruLies – The Truth about Lies on Europe”, aided by the Stiftung Mercator and run by the Institute for European Politics (IEP) in cooperation with Das Progressive Zentrum, has two principal objectives. On the one hand, it strives to deconstruct Eurosceptic and populist prejudices, animosities, and false assertions, by means of social scientifically-grounded analysis. Thus, it aims to contribute to a rationalisation of the public discourse and debate in Germany (and beyond). On the other hand, “TruLies Europe” endeavours to publicly communicate its findings beyond the select circle of scholars to political actors, civil society, and the wider public. You may find further information on our website: http://trulies-europe.de/.
Timo Lochocki’s contribution can be found here.
