Former President of the Constitutional Court warns of erosion of democracy as a result of AfD's rise

Former Constitutional Court President Andreas Voßkuhle warns of an erosion of democracy and the rule of law as a result of the AfD making a breakthrough in the state elections in the east next year. "The AfD as the strongest parliamentary group in one or more state parliaments would turn Germany's political landscape upside down. The political heads of this party are aiming for a fundamental change in the system," he told the "Tagesspiegel" (Thursday). "It won't be easy to prevent the AfD from becoming the strongest force," he said. The state parliaments in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg will be re-elected in September 2024.

Voßkuhle believes that the continued existence of democracy in Germany is not assured. "It is quite possible that our western democracy will only prove to be a short phase in the history of mankind, similar to Attic democracy, and then the dark days of totalitarianism will return," he said. "Those who don't want that should get involved in our democracy. Life in a democracy was never a paradise. But life in totalitarian regimes was and is significantly worse in many respects."