The German party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is monitored by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution on suspicion of being far-right, has gained points in almost all age groups and sectors of the German population in the European elections of 9 June, but especially among young people.
16 percent of people between 16 and 24 years old voted for the AfD, placing the party almost on the same level as the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party and its Bavarian partner, the Christian Social Union (CSU). .
While the AfD party is far from the favorite of most younger voters, the vote growth is notable. In the 2019 European elections, the Alternative for Germany, considered a party on the extreme right, only reached five percent of the young vote. In 2024, the percentage has more than tripled.
However, at first, the AfD itself was skeptical about the possibility of lowering the voting age to 16, seeing young voters as a threat rather than a chance to obtain a good result. . In fact, in 2018 the AfD sued the state of Thuringia for lowering the voting age to 16. The party complained that the ruling left, the Social Democrats and the Greens only wanted to secure their power by lowering the age from 18 to 16, because the young people were left-wing. That lawsuit was dismissed.
AfD, the party on TikTok
Since then, the AfD has made an effort like no other German party to win over the young vote. And it was successful. With campaigns aimed at this on TikTok, Instagram and other platforms, the AfD has tried to reach this age group. The messages are emotional, clear and direct: “Be confident in yourself”, “Look ahead”, “Don’t watch porn”, “Defend your opinion”.
The controversial AfD main candidate for the European elections, Maximilian Krah, tried to win over young voters on TikTok in this way. Krah ties his messages to simplistic political positions like: “Real men are right-wing.” Although Maximilian Krah seems like some kind of anti influencer With his sober suits and pocket square, he has had enormous success. In her videos she combines clear punchlines with humor and, ultimately, his strategy reaches an audience of millions of people.
But Maximilian Krah is more than just an influential politician on TikTok: he has been involved in major scandals and is suspected of having received money from Russian propaganda channels and of having employed a Chinese spy. And, shortly before the European elections, he relativized the crimes against humanity during the Second World War perpetrated by the SS, an organization that, during the Nazi regime (1933-1945) was responsible like no other instance for the systematic murders against the Jews. Outrage over Krah’s relativization came from all over Europe, also from friendly far-right parties.
For this reason, the AfD leaders withdrew Maximilian Krah as a candidate for the European elections. That probably cost the party some votes. But, in view of the sharp increase in votes compared to the last European elections, four years ago, the incident would seem to have not made a dent in the party. These scandals do not seem to interest younger people, or perhaps they do not know about them.
Democrats without strategy
Germany’s democratic parties have so far offered very little resistance to the AfD and its social media strategy. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tried on his recently launched TikTok channel to attract younger people with his worn-out portfolio. But the truth is that the AfD reaches as many young people in Germany as all the other parties combined: the CDU, the CSU, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens, the Liberal Democratic Party (FDP), and the Left.
It is likely that the strong increase in the youth vote for the AfD party also has a compelling reason: five years ago, the greatest concern of youth was human-caused climate change and its consequences. In 2024, that issue has taken a backseat. According to a current study by the Bertelsman Foundation, youth in Europe are primarily concerned about peace on the old continent. “Ensuring peace”: that is the most important task for a majority of people aged 16 to 25. In recent months, in fact, the AfD has tried to present itself as the “party of peace”. And, obviously, it has been successful among young people.
(cp/ms)
