11.05.2026
LpB Panel Discussion: Election Results and Political Culture in Flux – A Comparison of Baden-Württemberg and Thuringia
This event was organised in collaboration with the Tübingen branch of the Baden-Württemberg State Agency for Civic Education, the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society in Jena (IDZ) and the Institute for Research on Right-Wing Extremism (IRex) at the University of Tübingen
Following the election in Baden-Württemberg, the Greens and the CDU are almost neck and neck. At the same time, the AfD – mirroring the results of the election in Rhineland-Palatinate – has doubled its share of the vote and established itself as the third-strongest party with almost 20%. The AfD has thus now reached a level in western German states that it had already achieved in eastern German states several years ago. We have taken this situation as an opportunity to examine the characteristics and particularities of political culture and the election results in Baden-Württemberg and Thuringia. By comparing the two federal states, we aim to identify how voters in both regions differ and which spatial, demographic, economic, political and cultural factors contribute in each case to voters increasingly feeling drawn to the AfD’s right-wing populist to far-right politics. Based on an assessment of the current situation, we will discuss the following questions with guests from the worlds of politics and civil society: What can we learn from the experiences in Thuringia to strengthen democratic actors, institutions and structures? How can civil society and democratic engagement be strengthened in practice at a local level? And what measures are necessary to consolidate democratic culture in the long term?
Speakers:
Dr Rolf Frankenberger, Director of Research at the Institute for Research on Right-Wing Extremism (IRex) at the University of Tübingen
Tim Fröhlich, Research Fellow at the Institute for Research on Right-Wing Extremism (IRex) at the University of Tübingen
Christoph Richter, Research Fellow at the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society (IDZ) in Jena
Dr Axel Salheiser, Research Director at the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society (IDZ) in Jena
Harald Maas, Partnership for Democracy in Göppingen
Moderator: Prof. Dr Annett Heft, Professor of Research into Right-wing Extremism with a focus on media and public spheres at the Institute for Research into Right-wing Extremism (IRex) at the University of Tübingen
Date: Monday, 11 May 2026, 6 pm
Venue: Tübingen branch of the Baden-Württemberg State Agency for Civic Education, Wilhelmstr. 8, 72074 Tübingen
You can find the recording of the event here
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