Achim Brötel, the President of the German District Council (Deutscher Landkreistag), called upon the federal government to end its prolonged internal disputes. He stated in an appeal to the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” that the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) is largely attributable to voter disappointment with established political parties.
Looking at the recent polling figures for ‘enemies of democracy and extremists’ in states like Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brötel stressed that the government’s current behavior was unacceptable. He urged the ruling coalition members to “pull themselves together” and cease undermining each other’s positions. Instead, he called for the establishment of a “democratic community of responsibility”. According to Brötel, it is “difficult to bear” that the seriousness of the situation still appears unrecognized in Berlin, and that the coalition fails to act together and decisively change course.
The catalyst for his appeal was the polling high achieved by the AfD. In the latest “Deutschlandtrend” survey, the party surpassed the CDU/CSU-aligned Union for the first time. Brötel emphasized that the stakes were far greater than any single law or party; they concerned the very continuity of the social safety net that previous generations had fought for. He lamented that any sensible proposal for a necessary, though painful, reform is immediately sabotaged through internal strife. He warned that if this continues, it will soon be too late.
To halt the AfD’s ascent, Brötel advised the federal government to forgo making grand, sweeping promises. Instead, they must deliver fair and sustainable results and, critically, stand by them without constantly attacking one another. While acknowledging the difficulty of giving up entitlements, he urged the government to remember that Germany possesses “one of the best, maybe even the best social states in the world”. Brötel was firmly convinced that cuts could be implemented at certain points without causing the world to fall apart-a view he believed the “great majority of citizens” shared. He stated that this recognition held immense political power, requiring only the courage to act upon it.
For context, the German District Council is the nationwide peak association representing the interests of local districts, including those before the federal government.