Germany’s Christian Democrats struggle against populists in the east

THE SMALL east German state of Saxony-Anhalt is run by a so-called “Kenya” coalition, comprising three parties whose colours match that country’s flag: the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), the Social Democrats and the Greens. But so bad is the infighting it should be named after the similar hues of Afghanistan’s flag, chuckles Oliver Kirchner, local head of the hard-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

He should know. Five years ago the AfD—an extremist outfit shunned by all other parties—won a quarter of the vote, forcing the Kenya trio into their ill-matched arrangement. The AfD’s enduring support could oblige them to keep it going after Saxony-Anhalt’s election on June 6th.

Parts of this state offer a grimly familiar east German tale of deindustrialisation, depopulation and resentment of know-it-all Wessis (westerners). The AfD’s strength in such places gives the CDU, which leads the federal government, a persistent headache. The weird coalitions it dictates are bad enough: Saxony-Anhalt’s government has often teetered on the verge of breakdown. In Brandenburg and Saxony the AfD’s muscle has forced the CDU into similar awkward contraptions.