Germany's populist disruptors and the 'politics of fluidity.'

Charles Lees^*

• City St George's University of London, London, United Kingdom

This article explains modern German populism in comparative and historical perspective, looking at demand and supply side factors and with a focus on party-based populism. The article examines how the German party system has become increasingly unstable as the 'politics of centrality' that was associated with the old Federal Republic has succumbed to a new 'politics of fluidity.' The subsequent process of political fragmentation has seen the emergence of populist challenger parties of right and left. The article focuses on the more significant strand of right-wing populism represented by the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) but also considers the persistence of left populism in elements of the Linke and the recent breakaway Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW). The article concludes that Germany's populist challengers have a strong impact on party competition but face significant systemic bias that limits their impact on government formation at the state level and certainly at the Federal level. As a result, ceteris paribus the possibility of a right-wing populist government at the national level in Germany is smaller than in European democracies with more majoritarian electoral and party systems such as France.