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Insa poll: 53% of Germans back political firewalls, nearly one in three opposed
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A representative Insa poll for Bild found that 53 percent of Germans support political 'firewalls' — self-commitments by parties to exclude cooperation with certain parties — while nearly one in three considers them wrong. The term is mainly used regarding the AfD, which is monitored nationwide by the domestic intelligence service as a suspected case, with some state branches classified as confirmed right-wing extremist. After the Berlin election, a firewall against Die Linke is also being discussed. On whether firewalls should apply to both the AfD and Die Linke, 32 percent said no, 16 percent backed both, 25 percent only the AfD, and 12 percent only Die Linke. Among Union supporters, 53 percent oppose abandoning the federal firewall, 29 percent support it, with even stronger support in Saxony-Anhalt. The CDU presidium meets Sunday and Monday to address recent election losses. The poll surveyed 1,003 eligible voters on October 8-9.
Source report
According to a recent Insa survey, just under one in three Germans considers political "firewalls" to be wrong, while 53 percent support such commitments. There is little consensus, however, on which party the exclusion should apply to.
Key Findings
- 53 percent of respondents generally support political "firewalls" — commitments by parties to rule out cooperation with certain other parties
- Nearly one in three considers such self-commitments wrong
- 32 percent say firewalls should not apply to both the AfD and Die Linke
- 16 percent support a firewall against both parties
- 25 percent support a firewall only against the AfD
- 12 percent support a firewall only against Die Linke
- The remainder did not provide an answer
The survey was conducted on October 8–9 among 1,003 eligible voters in Germany.
Context
The term "firewall" (Brandmauer) is used primarily in connection with the AfD, which is monitored nationwide by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a suspected extremist case. Individual state branches have been classified as confirmed right-wing extremist by their respective state authorities. Following the Berlin election, a discussion has also emerged about a firewall against Die Linke.
"The CDU's fundamental problem is that it doesn't know how to deal with the AfD challenge," says WELT political editor Nikolaus Doll.
Debate Within the Union
The CDU presidium will meet this Sunday and Monday to address recent electoral defeats. The future approach to the AfD is also part of the debate within the Union.
Among Union supporters, a clear majority still favors maintaining the firewall at the federal level:
- 53 percent oppose abandoning it
- 29 percent support abandoning it
In Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD won the state election by a clear margin, support for the firewall within the Union's supporter base is even greater.
Source: dpa/gold
Source
Nachrichten - WELTWestern
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