In the aftermath of Sunday’s election in Germany, the political landscape resembles a hall of mirrors: Every reflection reveals a paradox.
The center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), having campaigned on a promise to restore order to the nation’s chaotic immigration system, emerged victorious — but it will now likely find itself shackled to a coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), that rejects its core agenda. All the while, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has become the second strongest force in the country’s politics.
In an election meant to be corrective, Germany will continue to find itself in a vicious cycle, where the compromises required to govern only deepen the divisions they aim to heal. The country’s mainstream parties, constrained by coalition politics and ideological rigidity, are fueling the very extremism they claim to oppose.
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