site.btaBulgarians in Germany Are Drawn to Far-Right Populism, Political Scientist Andriyan Andreev Says

There is a growing trend of Bulgarians in Germany being influenced by the populist messages of the far right, Bulgarian political scientist Andriyan Andreev told BTA.

Andreev lives and works in Leipzig. He is the chair of the Pencho Slaveykov Bulgarian cultural association in Leipzig, as well as the Alumniverein der Schulbrücken organization, which aims to help young Europeans increase their awareness of Europe through various initiatives and projects. Andreev is also involved in European and civic education as a freelancer, primarily through exchange programmes.

"From personal observations, there is definitely a tendency for the Bulgarian diaspora in Germany to lean toward populist positions. Many people here sympathize with Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is quite paradoxical," he noted. "It is precisely the EU that guarantees the right to work and reside in Germany for the Bulgarian diaspora," Andreev reminded.

A distinctive characteristic of Bulgarians' political attitudes in Germany is that they are "much less susceptible to left-wing populism," the political scientist pointed out.

He also emphasized that most Bulgarians living in Germany do not hold German citizenship and therefore do not have the right to vote in Bundestag elections. "What we are seeing here is mostly people who live and work in Germany but are not German citizens," Andreev explained. Additionally, "a significant portion of the Bulgarian diaspora simply does not take an interest in politics," he added. "This susceptibility to right-wing populism is often linked to a lack of information, which, unfortunately, is a widespread phenomenon—not only among the Bulgarian diaspora but also among many other demographic groups," he underscored.

More moderate voters within the Bulgarian community tend to support Alliance 90/The Greens, the Social Democrats, or the Christian Democrats, but these are "negligibly small groups," Andreev concluded.

He commented on the issue of migration in Germany in the context of the Bundestag elections and the record-high voter turnout. According to the political scientist, the fact that over 82% of eligible German voters went to the polls was due to a combination of social, economic, and political factors. "The main issues that concerned German voters in this election were migration, the economy, and security," Andreev explained.

In comparison, in the previous Bundestag elections and the last European Parliament elections, the dominant topics were entirely different—back then, the primary focus was on issues such as climate change and the social welfare system. "These are topics typically championed by left-wing political formations, whereas this time, the focus shifted to issues that right-wing parties were able to instrumentalize to their advantage," he observed.

Over the past two decades, Germany has shaped not only its own migration policy but also that of the entire EU, the Bulgarian political scientist added. "In 2015, Germany operated under the belief that accepting migrants would bring success both for the country and for Europe. However, we are now witnessing the opposite extreme of this migration debate, and that is influencing the decisions of a vast number of German voters," Andreev concluded.

The shift in voters' social, economic, and political attitudes toward the right is primarily due to Germany's economic situation. However, recession and a decline in people's purchasing power are also being observed in several other countries, with many of these processes linked to the aftermath of the lockdowns imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Andreev added.

He also commented on how economic and migration-related issues would impact the negotiations for forming a coalition government in Germany, after the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) emerged as the strongest political force in the Bundestag elections but failed to secure enough seats to govern alone.

"Before the Bundestag elections, CDU leader Friedrich Merz was playing with fire, entertaining the idea of some form of interaction with Alternative for Germany. However, his attempt to push through the so-called bill on restricting illegal migration in the Bundestag failed. Just two days earlier, though, the so-called 'Antrag' (a plan to limit migration) was passed with the support of Alternative for Germany. While this document carries no political consequences for the Federal Republic, it nonetheless signalled the CDU’s willingness to collaborate with Alternative for Germany. This move was unequivocally condemned by all other political forces in Germany and in Western countries - except, of course, the U.S.," Andreev explained.

The Christian Democrats were not part of Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government, but the CDU and SPD governed together in a coalition for the previous four terms of Germany’s legislation. They shared power from the time of Gerhard Schröder through Angela Merkel’s fourth cabinet, Andreev recalled.

Now, the two parties must attempt to reach compromises on the issues that concern voters most - migration and the economy. "This could be achieved through a strategic distribution of ministerial posts," he suggested. "For example, the Ministry of Social Policy could be led by the Social Democrats, while the CDU could take charge of internal and foreign affairs. In this way, a consensus could be reached that would satisfy both parties as well as the electorate," the political scientist concluded.