New German Anti-Euro Party Could Get 5 Percent at the Polls on Sunday
Inevitable neo-nazi references beginning
Bernd Lucke is a happy man. When he founded the anti-euro Alternative for Deutschland Party (AfD) six months ago, many dismissed him as the leader of a fringe group seeking to capitalize on a protest vote in national elections later this week.
Now, standing under the Brandenburg Gate under a light drizzle in front of several hundred supporters — mostly men with gray beards and spectacles — the economics professor said his party looks set to win at least 5 percent of the popular vote, the amount needed to qualify for seats in parliament when the country votes on Sunday.
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Most polls don't show the AfD getting 5%. Only a single polling institute shows them getting 5%, while others show them getting as low as 2.5%, not enough to enter parliament. The poll from INSA with 5% AfD is in several aspects an outlier: It shows the conservatives CDU/CSU with 38%, while most polls have them at least at 39%, and the Greens with 8%, while most institutes have them at 10% average. The AfD is notorious for being arrogant and inflating their chances.