Germany is set to hold a federal election on February 23rd, after Chancellor Olaf Scholz called a snap vote when his coalition government collapsed late last year. Parties are competing for seats in the Bundestag (German federal parliament). The election is receiving an outsized level of international interest, due in no small part to prominent Americans boosting the AfD party, and media coverage and social chatter more prominent than we might have expected a few months ago.
In this analysis, we’ll look at what coverage has resonated the most both from English media coverage as well as German media coverage in the last month. We’ll also spotlight the individuals and publishers that have garnered attention on various social platforms leading up to the election.
English media coverage highlights international influence
One party vying for seats, the Alternative for Germany, or the AfD, has become the focus of English coverage, largely because of the individuals accused of boosting it when many have accused the party of adjacency to Nazism.
The top articles show this, with Elon Musk and JD Vance making headlines for their recent comments on the party. The New York Times featured the most among the top 10, with all four of its articles reporting on Vance or Musk making comments on their respective visits to Germany.
The most engaged was about Chancellor Scholz accusing the Vice President of interfering in the upcoming election after urging German leaders at the Munich Security Conference to let AfD join their federal government. Regardless of AfD sitting second in the polls, no other party is currently willing to govern with it.
Other top articles included Politico, Reuters, and Forbes all reporting on Musk telling the crowd of an AfD rally that it’s time to “move on” from “past guilt.” The Associated Press also made the top 10, with two stories about protesters rallying in Munich to oppose AfD ahead of the election.
German coverage emphasizes the country’s political divide
With AfD continuing to gain traction with the public, it’s no surprise that it was also at the center of German media coverage, though naturally with a more local perspective.
The top articles highlight the key individuals earning attention around the election, with Alice Weidel, the AfD’s candidate for Chancellor, at the forefront of that coverage. RTL had the most engaged article overall, discussing what Weidel might actually do if she became Chancellor.
Even with articles reporting on AfD performing well in the polls, opposition to the party is still one of the main narratives in the media. Friedrich Merz, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union, has distanced himself from the AfD, and reports on the mass protests against AfD also made it into the headlines, with a greater focus on the riots and arrests that resulted from them.
Instagram and TikTok amplify attention
Social media has become essential in shaping election discussions and influencing public perception. That was especially true during the US presidential election in November, and that is proving to be the case in this German election, with German language social posts driving significant engagement.
The most influential posts have lived on TikTok and Instagram and generated hundreds of thousands of engagements. Tagesschau, a popular daily news publisher, has dominated on Instagram. Its post about young people under the age of 18 voting in a fictional election was the most engaged over all, earning over 481k engagements. Tagesschau also captured attention with posts about Chancellor Scholz criticizing Musk (241k), and polling results three weeks before the election (206k).
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@alice_weidel_afd Am Sonntag hast du die Chance, für einen echten politischen Wandel zu stimmen. Gib deine beiden Stimmen der AfD, um eine starke, unabhängige Richtung in Deutschland zu unterstützen. Deine Wahl entscheidet über die Zukunft unseres Landes! Und als besonderes Extra: Wenn du zwei Freunde oder Verwandte hinzufügst und ein Bild postest, kannst du ein signiertes Alice Weidel T-Shirt gewinnen. Sei Teil des Wandels – geh wählen und setze ein Zeichen für eine starke Zukunft! #dreiStimmen #afd #aliceweidel #wahlen #fürdich #deshalbafd #teamalice ♬ Originalton - Alice Weidel
On TikTok, AfD’s Alice Weidel has followed in the footsteps of politicians like Nigel Farage and Trump himself in receiving significant attention, with a post from her own account racking up 456k engagements. The video urged the public to vote for AfD in Sunday’s election and was also shared on her X and Facebook pages. However, the posts on those platforms generated only about 13% of the engagement seen on TikTok.
Overall, the German election has not only sparked national debate, but has also drawn significant international interest. Web coverage and social media posts both highlight the intense political divide in Germany, and the power of prominent figures to influence the public.
If you’d like to learn more about Germany’s publisher landscape, you can read our analysis here.
