The AfD thrives in the absence of mainstream parties that speak to people’s daily lives | Letters

Carolin Würfel is right to see the success of AfD in the eastern states of Germany as a way to protest against west German dominance (I know why many east Germans vote AfD. And no, it’s not an inherited longing for dictatorship, 15 September).

But she overlooks the fact that the “takeover” of 1990 could not have been done much differently. Any path more resembling those of other east European nations would have led to mass migration to West Germany. In that sense the current situation is not the fault of western politicians and industrialists. One thing could and should have been done differently, though. An attempt to build a conservative-centrist party representing the east would have been important, instead of just transferring the western parties. Die Linke fulfilled such a role for some time, but from the left, not the centre. Now AfD fulfils this role from the right.

In Bavaria, the Christian Social Union has exactly such a role and has helped to keep that state a stable member of the federal republic. A similar “Ost-Union” would have been important, but for that the 5% threshold in the federal voting laws would have had to be replaced by a state-based threshold. A new local party in one state, “Thüringen.Gerecht”, formed by former members of BSW, a split from Linke, could develop into such a role, but without federal representation it will be a very long road.
Jürgen Schwarz
Berlin

Carolin Würfel’s article highlights a dynamic that is not confined to Germany. The same forces are reshaping politics across Europe and the US, and they all begin with a widening gap between political leaders and the people they are meant to represent.

In much of Europe, that gap produces cynicism. Many citizens feel that leaders are driven by party interests, media pressures and broad national narratives rather than the realities of daily life. When people sense that distance, they become receptive to parties like the AfD, which present themselves as the only ones willing to listen.

In the US, the emotional response is different. What I see is not just cynicism but a deeper hopelessness – a belief that no leader or institution can address the problems people face. This is the environment in which Donald Trump rose to power. Like the AfD, his appeal comes from exploiting the disconnect between political rhetoric and lived experience.

Across democracies, people are responding to the same underlying pressures: deindustrialisation, rapid technological change, climate‑driven disruption and large migration flows from countries experiencing severe poverty, state fragility and deep social fragmentation. These are human problems, not ideological talking points. When leaders fail to engage directly with individuals, frustration and hopelessness become political fuel for movements whose primary interest is power, not solutions.
Mickey Wright
Utah, US