The Center in Shock: Morning Briefing with Prof. Wolfgang Schroeder

In the next digital morning briefing hosted by Offen für Vielfalt e.V.—immediately following the elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and Berlin—this coming Wednesday, September 23, at 8:30 a.m., political scientist Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schroeder will be the guest speaker. A professor of political science at the University of Kassel, he has been observing the transformation of the German party system and the development of the AfD for many years.

In particular, Schroeder analyzes how the AfD is reaching new political demographics with a new, emotionally charged, and highly personalized form of campaigning. According to Schroeder, the AfD is not an ordinary party engaged in normal political competition. It operates like a religious sect that presents “saviors.” On Deutschlandfunk, Schroeder described the AfD as a “pop-event communicator” and characterized its campaign as a “feel-good, depoliticized” mix of seemingly harmless staging with a far-right extremist background. For the AfD’s audience, influencers and streamers create their own “truth.” At the same time, in his view, the AfD no longer presents itself merely as a protest party, but as a force promising a fundamental political and societal systemic change.

In the Morning Briefing, the election results in Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are analyzed, and the focus extends beyond Election Day: What do the results say about the state of our party system? How significant is the loss of trust in political institutions? What challenges arise for the democratic center—and how can we succeed in restoring credible political alternatives, social cohesion, and confidence?

The event will take place online via Microsoft Teams. Register atMorning Briefing: With Prof. Wolfgang Schroeder.

The invitation link for the Morning Briefing will be sent to all registered participants well in advance of the event.