By Michael Sauerbier
Survey shock for Brandenburg’s government! In the latest Infratest/dimpa survey for the RBB, the AfD is far ahead of all other parties with 32 percent. SPD Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke is plummeting in popularity – as is the CDU.
Frustration over the heating law and refugee policy is driving voters towards the right-wing extremists. Almost every third person in Brandenburg (32%) would vote for AfD if there were a state election on Sunday. That is 9 percent more than in the last RBB survey in April – and 4% more than in the INSA survey from July for the BZ
The right-wing extremist AfD leads the latest Brandenburg opinion poll, while the SPD, CDU and Greens lose Photo: rbb24
The SPD, which has been in power for 30 years, would only get 20 percent (-2). The fall of party and government leader Dietmar Woidke (61, SPD) is more painful: only half of Märker residents (51%) are satisfied with his work – at the end of 2020 it was still two thirds of Brandenburgers (67%).
The most important issues for AfD supporters are refugee and energy policy (32/31%). Inflation only upsets 17 percent. By demanding border controls, the CDU is trying to steal away right-wing voters. In vain: According to the survey, the Christian Democrats have fallen from 23 percent in April to 18 percent now. Greens (8%, -1), Left (8%, +1) and Free Voters (6%, +1) hardly change. But with a total of 46 percent, Brandenburg’s SPD/CDU/Green government would no longer have a majority.
According to the survey, Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (61, SPD) is falling sharply Photo: rbb24
Astonishing: 38 percent of those surveyed had “no problem with the AfD in the state government”. Including 92% of AfD voters – of course. But also 37% of Free Voters supporters and 24% of CDU fans. Even 21% of left-wing friends wouldn’t mind. Only SPD and Green voters are 90 and 98 percent, respectively, strictly against right-wing extremists in power.
Only a little more than half of those surveyed (58%) believe that the AfD does not distance itself enough from right-wing extremist positions – four years ago, 77% said the same.
As a reminder: Björn Höcke, the party’s strong man, said: “The big problem is that Hitler is portrayed as absolute evil.” According to the court, Höcke can be called a “fascist”.
Only 22 percent of those surveyed know AfD parliamentary group leader Christoph Berndt (67), only 7% are satisfied with his work Photo: Sauerbier, Michael
But AfD politicians and their statements are unknown to most Brandenburgers. According to the survey, only 22 percent know their parliamentary group leader Hans-Christoph Berndt, who wants to run as the AfD’s top candidate in the 2024 state elections. And only 7% are “satisfied” with Berndt’s work.
The greatest danger to the AfD comes from the far left: 44 percent of Brandenburg residents would welcome the founding of a Wagenknecht party. The former left-wing faction leader in the Bundestag, like the AfD, sympathizes with war criminal Putin and wants to close the borders. But unlike the economically liberal AfD, the former SED comrade wants to control companies and profits by the state.
More than half of AfD supporters (57%) would find a Wagenknecht party “rather good”. This means: If the new political force comes, Wagenknecht could halve the AfD in the blink of an eye.