More than 9,000 young people headed to the polls in the Under-18 election before the state elections in Saxony and Thuringia, and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) crushed the competition in both votes, leaving the German political establishment reeling and issuing warnings.
The youth vote comes just days before the real vote in regional elections in Saxony and Thuringia, where the AfD is slated to win the elections with over 30 percent of the vote.
In Thuringia, the AfD scored 37.4 percent, an increase of almost 21 points compared to the 2019 youth election. The CDU gained around 7 points, jumping to 17.8 percent. The SPD scored 10.6 percent, a drop of over 3 points, and the Left Party 8.8 percent, a drop of 2.4 points.
The BSW would reach 6.9 percent from a standing start. The Greens, however, have crashed, losing a whopping 18 points and standing now at only 3.7 percent.
In other words, the push by Greens to allow under-18s to vote in elections may be leaving many in the party second-guessing their move.
The vote is not binding and is seen as a political project used for “political education,” but serves as a barometer of where the youth’s voting intentions lie and who they could be voting for in the future.
Saxony results
The vote was conducted at 150 polling stations in Saxony alone, according to the Saxony Children and Youth Council (KJRS), and saw the AfD there score 34.5 percent of the vote. The CDU came in second with 16.2 percent of the vote and the Left in third with 11.8 percent.
The Greens are at an abysmal 5.7 percent, while the SPD is at 8.5 percent.
In a surprise, only 4.8 percent of youth voted for the BSW. The party is polling quite high in the east, but it is supported by older former Left Party voters, many of whom yearn for a return to communism.
“Worrying” results
The chairman of the Saxon Children and Youth Association, Vincent Drews, expressed shock at the results.
“The AfD’s performance is of course worrying, as it shows that their ideas are also catching on with young people,” he said.
He said allegedly “democratic actors,” many who want to outright ban the AfD, have “a clear mandate to continue to promote democratic values and stand up for them.”
Despite the AfD’s expected strong showing in upcoming elections, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is expected to seek out other partners to rule in both states, namely the far-left BSW. Both parties have vowed not to cooperate with the AfD and they may score enough votes to ensure this outcome unless the AfD pulls off a larger margin of victory than expected.
