AfD in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Unveils Draft Election Program: 'Blue Turn' with Nuclear Power, Nord Stream 2 Revival, and Cultural Restoration
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has presented a draft state election program calling for a return to nuclear energy, the repair of Nord Stream pipelines, and a fundamental restructuring of state institutions around a contested concept of 'neutrality'.
The AfD's regional branch in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has titled its draft for the upcoming state election an 'AfD Government Program,' signaling confidence despite uncertain coalition prospects. The document, set to be debated and adopted at a party conference in Grimmen on Saturday, outlines a sharp rightward 'blue turn' for the northeastern state.
Core Ideological Framework
Political scientist Jochen Müller of the University of Greifswald, analyzing the draft for the German Press Agency (dpa), identifies a central theme: the party presents itself as a force of pragmatism against an omnipresent 'ideology.' The word 'ideology' or its variants appears thirty times in the document, used as a loosely defined label to criticize positions on gender, education, energy, and culture.
The AfD's election program for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern outlines central pillars of AfD policy.
Müller notes the draft goes beyond individual policy measures, expressing an ambition to realign the state's core rules and institutions. The envisioned state would be streamlined, more tightly bound to referendums, and committed to a specific notion of 'neutrality' across administration, education, funding, and media regulation.
Migration and National Identity
Under the subheading 'Border and Return Police,' the program calls for establishing a dedicated unit within the state police and a separate deportation detention facility. A section titled 'Protection of German Identity' accuses the state government of systematically working to replace a 'German-influenced society with a multicultural society,' language that echoes the far-right 'Great Replacement' conspiracy theory.
Cultural Restoration and Media Restructuring
The draft reveals what Müller describes as a 'specific image of homeland, normality, and cultural order,' marked by romanticizing and restorative motifs. These include promoting handwriting as a cultural technique, friendliness toward cash, regional architecture, heirloom crop varieties, local products, and war memorials.
In media policy, the AfD announces it will terminate the NDR State Treaty and the Media State Treaty, aiming for a slimmed-down 'basic broadcasting' service. A 'democracy clause' would be introduced as a prerequisite for state funding, demanding not just constitutional loyalty but also political neutrality. The draft explicitly states that funding for 'asylum policy lobby groups or the support of extremist structures through state funds' would be immediately halted, specifically naming the Refugee Council of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Energy Policy: Nuclear and Nord Stream
On energy, the AfD demands a return to nuclear power. It also calls for the repair of the damaged German-Russian Nord Stream gas pipelines and the reopening of any sections that remain intact. The draft does not address the fact that Russia had already curtailed and ultimately stopped gas deliveries before the pipelines were sabotaged.
The program does not stop at individual political measures. It also formulates the claim to realign central rules and institutions of the state.
The draft program will be debated and voted on by party delegates at the meeting in Grimmen this Saturday, setting the stage for the AfD's campaign in the state election.
