This text is an AI-generated translation of the original.
Germany’s party landscape is in flux. The AfD is growing ever stronger, and the traditional major parties are under pressure. In a conversation with CSV parliamentary group president Laurent Zeimet, journalist and columnist Harald Martenstein talks about the AfD, the CDU’s “firewall,” the Left in Berlin, and the future of the political centre.
Harald Martenstein has been one of the well-known voices in German journalism for decades. For a long time he wrote for Die Zeit; today he publishes, among others, for Bild. In his conversation with Laurent Zeimet, he analysed the current political situation in Germany.
“In Germany, the established party system is crumbling right now,” says Harald Martenstein.
For him, however, this is not a purely German phenomenon. In many European countries, the traditional parties are losing ground, while new—and above all right-wing populist—parties are gaining strength.
The “firewall” puts the CDU in a bind
According to Harald Martenstein, the CDU and CSU in particular are facing a
dilemma. On the one hand, the Union does not want to cooperate with the AfD. On the other hand, the AfD’s strength is making it increasingly difficult to find parliamentary majorities.
For Harald Martenstein, the Union has severely restricted itself with its “firewall” against the AfD. “Anyone who votes CDU in Germany in federal elections today can be truly sure of only one thing: CDU policy won’t be the outcome.”
He is not calling for a coalition between the CDU and AfD. In foreign policy, among other areas, Harald Martenstein sees clear differences. However, he considers it wrong to rule out any cooperation in principle from the outset.
If parties share the same position on a specific issue, it should also be possible to vote the same way, so his argument goes. A joint vote would still be a long way from a joint government.
Why people vote for the AfD
Harald Martenstein can understand that the rise of the AfD is viewed with concern abroad in particular. However, he considers comparisons with the NSDAP of 1933 to be wrong. The NSDAP openly opposed democracy and sought a dictatorship. He does not see such an explicit demand in the AfD’s party programme. For him, however, that does not mean that all AfD positions are unproblematic.
At the same time, Martenstein warns against lumping all AfD voters together as idiots. Many of them used to be CDU or SPD voters who no longer feel represented by their parties. There is one sentence he says he hears again and again:
“I didn’t leave the CDU; the CDU left me.”
For the established parties, it is therefore important to engage with the reasons behind this dissatisfaction.
A new Left in Berlin?
Harald Martenstein also sees major changes on the other side of the political spectrum. He points to the success of Die Linke in Berlin, which he labels the “Islamic Left.” His thesis: parts of the German Left have moved away from their classic socialist roots and are now seeking new voter groups in Muslim milieus.
For Harald Martenstein, this is both an ideological and an electoral-strategic development. The traditional working class, as a reliable voter base for left-wing parties, is becoming ever weaker. Other social groups, including those from the Muslim community, are gradually taking its place.
Concern about antisemitism
Harald Martenstein is particularly clear-cut when it comes to antisemitism. He refers to reports from Jews in Berlin who no longer feel safe in certain neighbourhoods, or who no longer want to—or can—openly show their Jewish identity.
In doing so, he chiefly criticises what he sees as a double standard in the public debate.
“It makes me absolutely furious when what matters is no longer whether something is right or wrong or scandalous, but mainly who does it.”
In his view, antisemitism must always be condemned with the same consistency, regardless
of whether it comes from the right, the left, or Islamist milieus.
Harald Martenstein also sees a change in Germany’s relationship with Israel. Solidarity with Israel is still officially part of Germany’s raison d’état, but the social consensus is becoming more brittle.
“A bit more courage”
At the end of the conversation came the question of whether, in an increasingly polarised political environment, there is still a need for a strong conservative major party and a political centre.
For Harald Martenstein, the answer is clearly yes. But a strong centre must above all know what it stands for and also advocate those positions.
“The centre should have that courage. A bit more courage.”
His message to the traditional major parties was clear: the centre must not allow itself to be driven by fear of political extremes on the right and left. It must define its own positions and have the courage to stand by them.