Ahead of electing a new Bundestag on February 23 – after its "traffic-light" coalition of social democrats, liberals, and greens collapsed – a recent poll showed that the far-right populist Alternative for Germany was in second place behind the establishment Christian Democrats.
"Populists have been making headway," says Bob Maginnis, a retired Army officer who has family in Germany. "Whether or not they're going to be able to become part of a larger coalition government, that's the question. I would hope that common sense would prevail and the populace would garner more control, because otherwise, they're just not going the right direction."
Though multiple European leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (pictured above), disagree, Maginnis says the lack of free speech Vice President JD Vance recently mentioned remains a problem.
"That's the reality," he insists. "These people have been invaded by the Muslim world and haven't done nearly enough to protect their cultures, and now the leftists want to go after those that are objecting to their progressive agendas."
He says the populists need "a true revolution" to restart common sense in that part of the world, where "they haven't had common sense [for] a long time."
Provisional results confirmed that mainstream conservatives led by Friedrich Merz won Germany's national election, while Alternative for Germany nearly doubled its support, the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II.
The country's electoral system is reportedly highly proportional, so polls gave a good indication of what shape of government might be possible after the election.
Key issues for voters in this snap parliamentary election were the state of the economy, migration, and Ukraine's war with Russia.
