독일 제19대 총선과 정당체제의 변화: 해적당의 실패와 독일대안당의 성공

Abstract

In the wake of the 19th German general election in september, 2017, ‘crisis’ and ‘instability’ of the German politics emerged as a main concern. The crisis is closely related with a new party system resulted from the recent general election. The most striking feature of the election is that AfD, a right-wing extremist group gained seats at the federal house of representatives. Following a number of successes at different state legislatures, it managed to confirm high approval rate in the recent general election for the Bundestag, thus becoming a major political force in German politics. Apart from Pirate Party Germany, just gained a temporary popularity under the same circumstances, AfD, on the other hand, became a major political force whose influences may affect not only German but also the entire European politics after their continued sweeping upturn in recent elections. As a result, existing five party system of the conservatives (CDU/CSU), social democrats (SPD), greens (Grüne),and leftists (Linke) turned into a much more fluid six-party system. Along with this emerging fluid six-party system, two major parties of the conservatives (CDU/CSU) and social democrats start loosing its dominant shares in German politics. Rapidly decreasing approval rates of major parties, quantum leap of minor parties, and the party fragmentization inevitably arouse doubts about the German party system as a whole, which was recognized for its stable and efficient statecraft in the past. Having said that, main objective of this paper is to figure out the consequences and meaning of the 19th general election in the process of changing contemporary German party system. Growing right-wing extremist forces, rapidly changing party system as well as rising political instability will not just remain as a problem for Germany alone. As long as AfD which has vehemently opposed a transnational polity manages greater voices in German politics, European efforts to deepen its integration will meet more serious obstacles. The pace of the integration will slow down and the dispute over the direction of the integration will be much more complex and fierce.