Scholz says right-wing populists won't gain upper hand in Germany, despite far-right party's rise

BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz insisted Wednesday that right-wing populism won't gain the upper hand in his country, days after a far-right party won control of a county administration for the first time since the Nazi era.

Alternative for Germany, which has come under scrutiny from security services over its ties to extremists, won a runoff election in Sonneberg county Sunday and has been polling strongly nationwide recently.

“Germany has been a strong democracy for a long time now, since World War II,” Scholz told reporters in Berlin after being asked what he is doing to prevent a resurgence of fascism 77 years since the defeat of Adolf Hitler's Nazi dictatorship.

He said the government's task was to concentrate on ensuring that voters know they can expect a good future and that they'll get respect for their work.

Alternative for Germany has campaigned strongly against immigration, but also opposed government measures to curb the coronavirus pandemic and to tackle climate change.

“We have the phenomenon of right-wing populist parties in Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Austria and Germany,” Scholz said. “They also exist elsewhere in the world but that doesn't mean they have to become relevant or dominant. And that won't be the case here either.”