The new German Bundestag convened for the first time with a large presence of the far-right.

Germany's new parliament took office on March 25, as the country faces its most serious economic and diplomatic crisis in decades. Coalition talks between the SPD and the CDU continue. Lawmakers have nominated the CDU's Julia Klöckner to be the speaker of the Bundestag.

Notably, the number of far-right lawmakers in parliament this time is at a record high since 1945. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won second place in the February 23 election, marking the best result for a far-right party since World War II. The AfD's rise has been fueled by years of economic stagnation. When the new German Bundestag began its term, the AfD doubled its number of seats to 152.

Scene of the first meeting of the German Bundestag. Photo: Bundestag

The AfD, which was founded in 2013 as an anti-euro economic liberal party, has shifted sharply toward far-right nationalism, opposing Muslim immigration, calling for the breakup of the European Union and not supporting aid to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. It has also attracted some members with military backgrounds, as well as those who have previously belonged to other far-right organizations.

Meanwhile, economic uncertainty – Germany has been in recession for two years in a row – along with fears of war and Donald Trump’s return to the White House have also created conditions for fringe parties to rise. The Left Party, the successor to the East German Communist Party, has also achieved its best results in years.

Number of seats of parties in the German Bundestag. Photo: Bundestag

Although the AfD lacks the seats to form parliamentary investigative committees, it still has the opportunity to influence political debate. The fact that Friedrich Merz, the leader of the conservative CDU, had to compromise with other parties to pass the economic rescue package shows the influence of the AfD.

With 24% of the seats in the 630-member Bundestag, the AfD has room to shape the political climate. The barriers to cooperation with the far right are starting to crumble, as evidenced by a recent court ruling that forced the parliamentary football team to accept AfD members. Some politicians are also changing their approach, rather than boycotting the party altogether.

“I have political disagreements with them, but not personal ones,” said Ferat Kocak, the first left-wing MP to win a seat in the former West Germany. “The other day, I got in the elevator with an AfD MP and greeted him with ‘Salam alaykum’ [the Arabic greeting, peace be with you ].”

Ngoc Anh (according to DW, Reuters)

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