In a candid interview, German Bundestag Vice President Katrin Göring-Eckardt of the Green Party expressed concerns about the challenges her party faces in the eastern German election campaign. She described the region as a “tougher piece of the puzzle” compared to the west, stating that the Greens are not a party that is “anyway close to 20 percent” in the eastern states.
In contrast, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has been polling high in the region, with the Greens and AfD essentially serving as “poles” in the eastern part of the country, according to Göring-Eckardt. However, she emphasized that not everyone who has voted for the AfD in the past is unreachable, and that it is crucial to listen to the concerns of people in rural areas and provide answers to their pressing questions.
Göring-Eckardt highlighted the importance of addressing the emotional concerns of voters, particularly in the context of healthcare, stating that the AfD has been capitalizing on people’s feelings of insecurity. “They’re making a check mark in the unknown for people” she said, implying that the AfD is exploiting people’s fears and uncertainties.