Key facts
- Germany's far-right AfD party is using nostalgia for former East Germany to gain support in upcoming eastern elections.
- The AfD organized a Simson moped convoy in Quedlinburg, Germany, as part of its campaign for the Saxony-Anhalt state election.
- AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund invoked a sense of past freedom and unity associated with East German culture.
- The party is leading in polls in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, aiming for its first governing foothold.
- A historian noted the AfD's strategy of co-opting East German memories and fostering anti-Western sentiment.
- Regional identity in eastern Germany is strong, with many feeling distinct from western Germans and resentful of reunification's impact.
Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is employing a strategy of embracing nostalgia for the former East Germany, known as Ostalgie, to bolster its electoral chances in key eastern states. The party is capitalizing on a strong sense of regional identity and a perception of economic and social decline in the country.
In a recent event in Quedlinburg, Saxony-Anhalt, AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund led a convoy of hundreds of Simson mopeds, a popular brand from the former East Germany. Siegmund presented the Simson culture as a symbol of individual freedom and past unity, aiming to connect with voters who feel a longing for simpler times, even if it means recalling life in a former dictatorship.
The AfD is currently leading in polls for the upcoming state elections in Saxony-Anhalt on September 6 and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on September 20. A significant victory in these elections could provide the party with a governing foothold, potentially destigmatizing it and paving the way for broader electoral success.
Supporters at the moped rally expressed a desire to return to the norms and values of East Germany, with some also voicing anti-migration sentiments. Historians note that the AfD is instrumentalizing Ostalgie, using the memory of East Germany as a political tool to contrast with the current government and foster a sense of eastern pride that can be translated into votes.
Surveys indicate that a strong regional identity persists in eastern Germany, with a growing number of people feeling more differences than similarities between themselves and western Germans. This sentiment is compounded by lingering resentment over the economic and social impacts of reunification in 1990, including job losses and persistent wealth inequalities, which the AfD seeks to exploit.