Söder: Cityscape and deportation figures make AfD strong
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Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder has admitted that Germany's tougher migration policies have failed to weaken support for the AfD, saying the party has become more deeply rooted than many expected.
Speaking in an interview with Deutschlandfunk, the CSU leader said he had expected stricter migration measures to have a greater political impact. He pointed to a sharp decline in asylum applications, significantly higher deportation numbers, and visible changes in many German cities. Despite these developments, he acknowledged that public support for the AfD has continued to grow.
According to Söder, the AfD's strength cannot be explained by migration alone. He argued that many Germans are increasingly worried about their economic future and fear a decline in their standard of living as the world changes rapidly. Those concerns, he said, have made voters more receptive to the AfD's message, even if he believes the party does not offer practical solutions.
Söder also criticized the AfD for focusing on public fears while blaming others instead of presenting workable policies. He described some of the party's culture-war rhetoric as unrealistic and argued that where the AfD has held local government responsibility, it has not produced meaningful political change.
Despite acknowledging the challenge, Söder firmly rejected any cooperation between the CDU/CSU and the AfD. He warned that such an alliance would split the conservative bloc and weaken it politically. Instead, he called on democratic parties to deliver effective governance, maintain a clear political stance, and work together through democratic compromise to regain voters' trust.