Germany, Belgium - Recent The political landscape in Germany is set to remain centrist and stable despite the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, with mainstream parties aligned on key issues including immigration, economic recovery, and the Ukraine crisis, according to Ulrich Bruckner, Jean Monnet Professor for European Studies at Stanford University in Berlin. Germany will hold its federal election on Sunday following the collapse of the ruling "traffic light coalition," comprising the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The snap election will determine the composition of the new Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, and, ultimately, the next chancellor. Four major parties vying for voter support, namely the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU), Scholz's SPD, the Greens and the AfD. Bruckner told the China Global Television Network (CGTN) via video link that although the AfD's popularity in the country's eastern region has made headlines, Germany's political trajectory is likely to stay in the hands of moderate parties who ultimately share similar core beliefs among themselves. "You win elections in the center, and therefore most parties cluster in the center and try really hard to highlight what the distinctions are. But at the end of the day, they all believe in the same thing. They are very committed to European integration, they believe in NATO, they are an open economy, they believe migration is necessary in an aging society. So in the main questions they all agree, but some are more conservative, a bit more green or a bit more liberal. But the fundamental things remain the same. So what we will see is a variation of the same, if 80 percent of the German voters vote for just a variation of different colors or different people, but not a very different direction or a different Germany. On the edges is a populist movement and a very right-wing if not Neo-Nazi party, and they are supported by the United States of America, by the new government, because they believe that disruption would save Germany, although they don't really say what Germany needs to be saved for," he said. The AfD's rise has also generated discussion around polarization in Germany, but according to Bruckner, political disagreements in the country are resolvable without welcoming in extremism. "In Germany, you win elections in the center because most people believe that things are basically okay. They have different ideas about housing, or some people overestimate inflation, or some people are afraid by too much immigration. So that's all fine and it's normally in a pluralist society," the professor said. He contrasted Germany's political environment with that of other European nations, where a more serious risk of a turn to the far right pervades. "If you look around us, then in Britain, UKIP (UK Independence Party) is taking the lead. In France, Marine Le Pen could potentially win the next presidential elections. Italy voted for Meloni. Compared with this, Germany's 20 percent of people who are neither satisfied with mainstream parties nor have a different idea about the future of Germany doesn't really mean that it's polarized. There are a lot of discussion points how to deal with climate change, what are the consequences of the new situation in Ukraine and many more, but we simply narrow the discourse down to talking about migration, as if this helps Germany to get back competitiveness or to declare its strategic autonomy from an American government that is less supportive or committed to collective security under NATO," he said. The video shows: Berlin, Germany - Recent 1. Various of German national flags, Bundestag building Berlin, Germany - Feb 22, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 2. SOUNDBITE (English) Ulrich Bruckner, Jean Monnet Professor for European Studies at Stanford University in Berlin (partially overlaid with shot 3/ending with shot 4): "You win elections in the center, and therefore most parties cluster in the center and try really hard to highlight what the distinctions are. But at the end of the day, they all believe in the same thing. They are very committed to European integration, they believe in NATO, they are an open economy, they believe migration is necessary in an aging society. So in the main questions they all agree, but some are more conservative, a bit more green or a bit more liberal. But the fundamental things remain the same. So what we will see is a variation of the same, if 80 percent of the German voters vote for just a variation of different colors or different people, but not a very different direction or a different Germany. On the edges is a populist movement and a very right-wing if not Neo-Nazi party, and they are supported by the United States of America, by the new government, because they believe that disruption would save Germany, although they don't really say what Germany needs to be saved for." ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ Berlin, Germany - Recent 3. Various of election posters, banners, signs ++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ 4. Various of Federal Chancellery building Berlin, Germany - Feb 22, 2025 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Ulrich Bruckner, Jean Monnet Professor for European Studies at Stanford University in Berlin (partially overlaid with shots 6-8/ending with shots 9-11): "In Germany, you win elections in the center because most people believe that things are basically okay. They have different ideas about housing, or some people overestimate inflation, or some people are afraid by too much immigration. So that's all fine and it's normally in a pluralist society. If you look around us, then in Britain, UKIP (UK Independence Party) is taking the lead. In France, Marine Le Pen could potentially win the next presidential elections. Italy voted for Meloni. Compared with this, Germany's 20 percent of people who are neither satisfied with mainstream parties nor have a different idea about the future of Germany doesn't really mean that it's polarized. There are a lot of discussion points how to deal with climate change, what are the consequences of the new situation in Ukraine and many more, but we simply narrow the discourse down to talking about migration, as if this helps Germany to get back competitiveness or to declare its strategic autonomy from an American government that is less supportive or committed to collective security under NATO." ++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ Berlin, Germany - Recent 6. Various of election posters 7. Signs calling for residents to vote FILE: Berlin, Germany - March 16, 2022 8. Reichstag building, national flags of Germany, flag of European Union ++SHOTS OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++ Berlin, Germany - Recent 9. Various of German national flags, Bundestag building 10. Various of pedestrians, traffic FILE: Brussels, Belgium - April 3, 2024 11. NATO headquarters, flags 12. NATO flag 13. Various of "NATO Star" sculpture, NATO banners [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]