State of Pandemic: Opportunity or Challenge to the Alternative für Deutschland Party?

Abstract

Despite amassing significant popularity after the European migration crisis in 2015, the Alternative für Deutschland party (AfD) has faced declining support throughout the coronavirus pandemic. This article seeks to answer the question of how the party changed its political strategy and communication with voters during the pandemic, considering its decreasing popularity. By analyzing the AfD’s Facebook posts from January to December 2020, I found that the party maintained its initial strategy of government criticism and migration issues. However, the AfD posted the most on culture issues, demonstrating that it is incorporating cultural grievances outside of migration to appeal to more conservative and potentially extreme voters.

Keywords: German politics, populism, far-right, right-wing, extremism