„We first look at ourselves“ – but for how much longer?
by OK
Oliver Kannenberg: „Wir gucken zuerst auf uns“ – nur wie lange noch? Parteienwettbewerb bei der Kandidatenaufstellung zur Bundestagswahl 2017, in: Zeitschrift für Parlamentsfragen (ZParl), Vol. 51 (2020), Issue 1, pp. 84-104. (DOI: 10.5771/0340-1758-2020-1-84)
The rise of the right-wing populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) has changed the German party landscape and challenged the other Bundestag parties. So far, this has not been paid attention to when looking at how parties fulfil their recruitment function, i.e. how they select candidates for elections. This study investigates whether and how the AfD has influenced their rivals’ nomination processes in 2017. By drawing on guided interviews with members of the selection bodies, strong inertial forces within the established parties in terms of the selection mode became obvious. Similarly, candidates for the Bundestag were largely chosen according to internal party criteria despite increased inter-party competition. Those results notwithstanding there are initial signs that voter-related selection criteria might be weighted stronger in the future. This could be due above all to declining membership figures, changing conditions for competition in the districts and enhanced polarization within the parties.
The article is published in: ZParl, Vol. 51 (2020), Issue 1, pp. 84-104.
