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Globalization and politics

Emily Schultheis
Journalist

Freelance journalist currently based in Berlin, chronicling the effects of populism on elections in Europe. Former Washington-based political reporter for CBS News, Politico and National Journal.

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piqer: Emily Schultheis
Monday, 02 July 2018

If All Is Going Well, Why Are Bavarians So Frustrated?

As the coalition drama in Germany took yet another dramatic turn early this week — Interior Minister Horst Seehofer reportedly offered up his resignation following a showdown with Chancellor Angela Merkel over migration, then changed his mind — it's worth stopping and looking at the region of the country that is behind the current turmoil: Bavaria, home to Seehofer's Christian Social Union (CSU).

The New York Times's Katrin Bennhold does just that in a piece published this weekend: despite the German state of the economy, low unemployment and relatively successful integration of refugees, voter anger is fueling a sharp shift to the right. In Bavaria's state elections this October, this is manifesting in increased support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) — and in the CSU's apparent desire to imitate the AfD's rhetoric on immigration issues.

Bavaria has, as the article notes, an outsized identity: it is "the Texas of Germany", a comparison that, as an American, I've often used myself. That outsized identity is clearly true in politics, too: expect to hear plenty more about Bavaria in the coming weeks and months as the state's election is, after all, clearly a big part of Seehofer's calculus. In the meantime, Germany observers will be anxiously awaiting the results of Monday's meeting between Merkel and Seehofer.

If All Is Going Well, Why Are Bavarians So Frustrated?
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