The extreme right-wing party in Germany dominates opinion polls in the eastern region of the country less than two weeks before the federal elections on February 23-economic fears played a role in its popularity.

After the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, the economy in East Germany collapsed on a large scale with the stumbling of local companies and companies and unemployment increased. Although the federal government spends hundreds of billions of euros strengthening the region’s economy and developing its infrastructure, the turmoil has left a sour taste in the mouth of many of the region.

“Since the 1990s, economic insecurity has been regular feelings between part of the Eastern German population,” Manis Wesschcher, the political scientist in Tudsden, told CNBC.

This was played in the hands of Germany’s alternative, Fawer Deutfand (AFD) and other marginal parties that tend to be much better in East Germany.

The Germans will receive two votes in surveys next week: one will directly represent the candidate their electoral district, and one party.

The latest voting and modeling from Yugov From voting circles shows something of the right blue wall in eastern Germany. In most of the eastern electoral districts, candidates are nominated. This is not the case throughout the country, however.

CDU, with her CSU party, leads the patriot Opinion polls With about 30 % of the sounds, while AFD is about 20 %, which reflects the increasing support of the party throughout the country. AFD won slightly over 10 % of the votes in last Federal elections.

It is unlikely to join the next ruling coalition, as the main parties have so far rejected partnership with AFD.

After the German unification after the fall of the Berlin Wall, East Germany’s economy was distinguished by a decrease in income, high unemployment and weaker growth compared to the West.

These issues have sincerely disappeared, and factors such as economic growth and unemployment are no longer significant concerns, according to Hulger Schmiding, the chief economist in Bernberg.

The IFO Institute for German Economic Research offers 0.7 % economical growth East Germany This year, more than expected for the country total. Data From the Federal Employment Agency in Germany, it shows that the unemployment rate in East Germany has decreased to half of its highest levels, with the gap in the West sharply shrinking.

In some respects, the eastern states of Germany actually cut off their Western counterparts.

He told CNBC: “Living levels in East Germany, which have been modified for the cost of living, are not much lower than those in the West. The infrastructure is usually newer and better than most parts of the West.”

However, the population in East Germany still has a negative vision of the economy, according to 2024 Research By the German Economic Institute (IW). Less than a third of the Eastern German respondents said they were satisfied with how the labor market was evolved, and only one in five people said they believed they were living in an area with emerging growth.

Matthias Demir, head of the Research Unit for Democracy, Society and Market Economy at IW, told CNBC that although AFD supporters are a little more concerned about their personal economic situation, compared to others, “their perception of the economy in general is much worse.”

Dermere added that the vast majority of AFDs say they are deeply concerned about the wider economy, while those who support the other parties are on the other side of this spectrum.

Despite what IW refers to as the process of catching the clear economic knees, the disparities between East and Western Germany still exist.

He explained that “this is not fair and unfair … by the supporters of the marginal parties, but it is also feelings that are activated greatly by these political actors,” adding that the extreme right has worked to stir up the feelings that pre -exist from economic insecurity, as it is it “A second -class citizen”, and the social decline between voters.

“This is what they are doing very successfully,” Demir said.

At the same time, AFD wonders about the accuracy of positive economic news, and given the perception that the economy is not good-plays a “easy game” by claiming that the prevailing parties, statistics agencies and other state-controlled bodies are misleading and voters said.

AFD did not respond to the CNBC request for comment.

Weisskircher from Tu Dresden also indicated that the historical context is an important factor.

“The economy is important, but rather because of the feeling of lack of security in the long term and unclear economic prospects-in an area that faced severe economic problems in the nineties and early first decade of the twentieth century, with high unemployment rates, among other issues,” he said.

Not only is economic concerns that prompted AFD success in East Germany.

Wessrachcher said that opposition to immigration is much higher in East Germany, and the main parties have a sincere base in the region, as it was not present before the national reunification.

Doubts over climate change and green energy policies are also part of the AFD campaign. Wind turbines in particular have become a disputed topic, with the main AFD candidate Alice and indicates the upcoming elections that call for their demolition.

AFD also puts itself as a party representing those who left behind.

This increasing number of eastern Germans showed more rural areas for the benefit of major cities. One of the remains in these areas is the main goals of the AFD speech, and as Dierier noticed from IW, research has shown that this population composition is more likely to vote for the extreme right.