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🇳🇴 Norway /Elections & Politics

This far-right star could shake Europe

From Aftenposten · () Norwegian

Translated from Norwegian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Analysis Sources not specified Ongoing story
  • Ulrich Siegmund, a 35-year-old AfD politician, is drawing close attention as the party could gain power in Saxony-Anhalt for the first time.
  • Siegmund has used Simson scooters, produced in the former East Germany, as a prominent feature of his campaign.
  • His rallies have included groups of supporters riding the two-stroke scooters behind him.

A 35-year-old man riding an old scooter could shake Europe. That is the striking image surrounding Ulrich Siegmund as the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, tries to gain power in Saxony-Anhalt for the first time.

Siegmund smiles and waves as Europe watches closely. He speaks easily with people, and many find him attractive. His campaign also draws on nostalgia, with the candidate travelling on a Simson scooter.

The scooters were produced in the German Democratic Republic, the communist dictatorship also known as East Germany that emerged after World War II and dissolved in 1990.

Some of Siegmund’s strongest campaign appearances in the former East German state have featured fleets of Simsons. He rides at the front with a group behind him, all on two-stroke scooters advertised as capable of reaching 60 kilometres per hour, though they rarely managed that in practice.

About this summary

Originally published by Aftenposten in Norwegian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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