Former East Germany has seen the first radical right-wing party to come first in a state election since 1933. Fears of a Nazi past being resurrected are misplaced but the success of the anti-immigration AfD party and failure of the present three governing parties is a sobering moment.
Alternative fur Deutschland was founded on 11 March 2013 in the aftermath of the financial crisis with protests over Germany’s efforts to bail out poorer countries in the EU. It was seen as an anti-Euro party but turned its focus on migration after the 2015 refugee crisis when Angela Merkel opened the door to more than a million refugees from war-torn countries such as Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. High inflation and energy costs after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – 55 per cent of Germany’s natural gas supply came from Russia – exacerbated economic issues for ordinary Germans.
AfD has little hope of forming a government at state level because other parties are unlikely to work with it.
Germany has been undergoing a massive disruption since Merkel’s exit in late 2021 which coincided with tr Pluto opposition the 10th house Uranus. Tr Uranus in early Taurus crossing the 8th house Moon and heading for the 8th house Pluto. Both of which have astro-echoes to the 1930s when tr Pluto in Cancer was conjunct the 10th house Uranus and tr Uranus was also in Taurus opening up a dark seam in the German psyche.
Those two influences have now passed but with tr Pluto conjunct the Germany Mercury in Capricorn for the final time plus the end run of tr Pluto trine the Germany Mars till the end of the year, there will be heated debates and agitated frustration. And there is still the Solar Arc Pluto opposition the 7th house Neptune in play at the moment causing confusion in relationships with neighbours. The tr Saturn Neptune in Aries will not add much to a spirit of optimism as it opposes the Germany Mars at zero degrees Libra and squares Saturn at one Capricorn for a highly uncertain and anxious 2025/2026.
The Germany/EU relationship chart will be undergoing massive changes or at least be under immense pressure from now through till 2028 as tr Pluto is conjunct the composite Venus (2023/24), opposition Uranus (2024/25), square Mars (2025/26) and then square the composite Moon till 2028.
The AfD, 11 March 2013 chart, shows disappointments and successes – with an undermining tr Neptune conjunct the Mars till early 2026 and an upbeat Solar Arc Jupiter square the Pisces Sun exact early in 2025. It has a grandiose yod of Saturn sextile Pluto inconjunct Jupiter – so there may be more highs to come in the near future, though the longer term is more troubled.
The leader Bjorn Hocke, 1 April 1972, Lunen, Germany, is a rebellious, uncompromising Sun Mercury in Aries opposition Uranus and square an over-confident Jupiter. This October’s Libra Solar Eclipse and next spring’s Aries Solar Eclipse will both shake up his Sun, Mercury – so he’s likely to be talking up a storm. But his Mars Saturn in Gemini opposition Neptune won’t appreciate tr Uranus moving into Gemini, nor at a lesser level the tr Saturn Neptune in Aries – which along with tr Pluto in Aquarius will be adding further challenges.
The former East Germany is still not as well off as the former West Germany, companies and well paid jobs are still located in the west, whether the east catches up remains to be seen.