German political scientist Uwe Jun points out that the electorate of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) shows exceptional resilience to reports of scandals and political nepotism. According to the latest analyses, supporters of this party are guided by strong ideological convictions and protest against the current government, which means that personal controversies surrounding leaders have marginal significance for the final support figures.

Ideology over scandals

AfD voters prioritize the party's main political goals over the ethics and behavior of individual party activists.

Ineffectiveness of media attacks

Reports of scandals are often perceived by supporters as deliberate political smear campaigns, which increases their loyalty.

Problematic nepotism

Despite general condemnation of corruption and cronyism, the right-wing electorate rarely decides to change its voting preferences.

An analysis of German public attitudes conducted by political scientist Uwe Jun sheds new light on the phenomenon of stable support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) despite numerous controversies. The expert notes that the mechanism of 'resistance' among this party's voters to scandals stems from a deep conviction about the correctness of its proclaimed program, rather than attachment to specific individuals in the leadership. The contemporary AfD electorate is characterized by high ideological mobilization, which makes it insensitive to accusations of nepotism or internal political 'cronyism'. The Alternative for Germany was founded in 2013 as a party skeptical of the euro, but over time evolved into a right-wing populist party, gathering protest votes against the federal government's migration and energy policies. The public debate, which flared up in the media after recent reports of irregularities, shows a clear disconnect between public opinion and the hardcore electorate. Readers of newspapers such as Focus point out that while nepotism is universally condemned, in the case of AfD, these voices do not translate into a loss of support to other parties. This phenomenon is seen as an expression of extreme polarization in the German political scene. It is worth noting that this stability occurs at a time when other traditional parties are losing support due to minor infractions. The protest electorate of AfD perceives media attacks on the party as an element of the power struggle, which paradoxically may strengthen bonds within this group. Experts predict that without a change in the narrative from mainstream parties, personal scandals will remain an ineffective tool for weakening support for this party.

Perspektywy mediów: Liberal media emphasize the demoralizing influence of scandals on democratic standards and warn against the radicalization of voters. Conservative media stress that scandals are often exaggerated by the establishment to discredit an ideological alternative.

Mentioned People

  • Uwe Jun — German political scientist and professor at the University of Trier, an expert on party systems.