Marcel Lewandowsky: ‘The AfD is building a core base of voters’

The AfD has become especially strong among young voters in eastern Germany, and Saxony-Anhalt now shows that shift more clearly than ever. Political scientist Marcel Lewandowsky, who has studied the party’s rise for years, says the result was not surprising.

Forty-one percent of voters aged 18 to 24 chose the AfD in the election discussed by ZEIT Campus, the highest figure recorded for the party among that age group. Only 5% voted for the CDU, also a record low.

Asked whether the result shocked him, Lewandowsky said it had been expected. He said the AfD enjoys a high standing among young people in eastern Germany, while the CDU has never been a genuine youth party.

The Left also improved compared with previous elections, he said. But the AfD performed particularly strongly among young men. The interview examines why the party is gaining support among young eastern voters and why the CDU and other parties are struggling to win them back.

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It was expected. The AfD has a high standing among young people in eastern Germany. The CDU has never really been a youth party.