Catalans in Berlin concerned over AfD 'tension' but confident of cordon sanitaire post elections

Catalans in Berlin are gearing up for the German federal elections from a certain distance, as only German citizens can vote, yet they still share concern about the rise of the far right. 

Polls indicate that the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party will come out as the second-strongest force after Sunday's elections.

Speaking to the Catalan News Agency (ACN) in Berlin, Catalans living in the city acknowledge that "a certain tension" is felt on the streets, partly the result of the political and social "instability" of the last legislature.

They are confident that the traditional parties will maintain the cordon sanitaire against the far-right, but at the same time they feel that the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) could gain ground to the detriment of the Social Democrats while moving increasingly further to the right.

Sofia Ariadna Szabó Vicente is one of the Catalans interviewed this week by ACN ahead of the elections. She is a photographer who has been living in Berlin for seven years and who has seen how the rise of the far-right has created "a certain tension" in German society.

She acknowledges that her concerns may be less than those of others due to the fact that she is a citizen of the European Union, yet she feels that greater support for the far-right will generate "certain impacts" in a country that has edged closer to political "instability" in recent years.

Some of her German friends have felt a lot of "tension" regarding issues such as respect for the environment and women's rights in recent years.

Additionally, Germany being a country that has traditionally been very dependent on Russian energy supplies means it has suffered a lot from inflation problems since the Ukraine war kicked off. "Prices in supermarkets have increased a lot, and finding an apartment is complicated."

She fears that if a more conservative CDU arrives in government, she could be impacted in searching for work or obtaining state benefits, or even obtaining German citizenship.

Gerard Marquina, a computer engineer and resident of Berlin for three years, also has the same opinions. Although he knows that he is less affected as he is an EU citizen, he says that people at his company from countries like Albania and Ukraine have expressed their concerns to him.

In recent months, Marquina says he feels more tension from people, and points out that discourse on certain topics has changed noticeably. "I arrived just as the war in Ukraine was breaking out, and all the Germans agreed that help was needed, I even volunteered. Now, in the last year, some are wondering why we are helping them and spending so much money," he explains.

A new political cycle

The rise of the far right also worries Jordi López, an accountant who has lived in Berlin for five years, although he also understands its growth in popularity.

For him, immigration - one of the most discussed issues in electoral debates - has been approached in Germany from the wrong perspective. "The migration policy that we have experienced so far cannot be repeated, I think more control is needed; no longer from fear or irrationality, but by looking and understanding that if you are committed to a more serious or restrictive migration policy it does not mean that you are already far-right." 

For this reason, he says that he views these elections "with enthusiasm" because new agreements will be made and a new political cycle will start in the country. "I think that the coalition that was governing until now has come to an end and now it is really time to analyze what the problems are that German society has."

Among them, the issue of access to housing stands out, where he sees that "exorbitant prices" are being paid.

"Despite coming from a government with left-wing parties, we have not seen any progress; the right may not build social housing either, but people need to be able to access an affordable market," he sums up.

Cordon sanitaire

Despite the concerns expressed, everyone is confident that Germany's tradition of forming political pacts will be maintained.

Everyone is also confident that the party leading the polls - Friedrich Merz's CDU - will not align with the AfD.

Following Merz's rapprochement with the far-right on migration, Sofia Ariadza Szabó recalls that numerous demonstrations broke out in Berlin against this movement. "Germany is a place where democracy wins in the end, no matter how much they instill this fear in us," she says.

In turn, Marquina believes that if the CDU wins out, the status quo will continue. The unknown, then, will be to see whether the conservatives and social democrats will be able to see eye to eye.

Further questions remain about whether the CDU will look further to the left and seek support from the Greens or whether, in tighter results, it will be necessary to resort to a new three-way coalition.