Sebastian Fiedler, the internal policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, anticipates an increase in disinformation ahead of state elections in East Germany. He attributed this expectation to the sharp decline in asylum applications, stating to the “Handelsblatt” (Monday edition) that this development poses a threat for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the AfD. According to Fiedler, Putin is losing a crucial tool for destabilizing the European Union and its democracies through his hybrid form of warfare. He added that “the AfD, as a multiplier for Putin’s propaganda, is losing an essential element of its politics”. Consequently, he expects “especially before the upcoming state elections” to see a “stronger presence of disinformation campaigns”. In contrast, Alexander Throm, the internal policy spokesman for the CDU parliamentary group, views the falling asylum application numbers as validation for the CDU’s migration policy. Speaking to the “Handelsblatt”, Throm asserted that “this is crucial not least for pacifying our society”. As evidence, he noted that migration is “no longer cited as the number one problem topic in polls”. He concluded that, “by doing so, we are also depriving the AfD of fertile ground on a decisive policy front and thus protecting our democracy”.
Politics
