In the small town of Aue-Bad Schlema, located in the Ore Mountains near the German-Czech border, far-right politician Stefan Hartung of the Free Saxons party received 47% of the vote in the June 7 mayoral runoff, losing to center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) candidate Marcus Hoffmann, who secured 53%.

Hartung, a former member of the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party of Germany (NPD), serves as deputy chairman of the Free Saxons, a party considered even more radical than the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is officially classified as extremist in Saxony. The state domestic intelligence service describes the Free Saxons as a "grouping of neo-National Socialists organized as a political party."

Local editor Jürgen Freitag noted the town's divided mood: "When you walk through the town today, you see cheerful people. But that can be misleading. Citizens are deeply disappointed with politics." The Free Saxons party invested heavily in Hartung's campaign, which Felix Sell, a local community worker, described as "worse than during the federal election."

The Ore Mountains region has a long tradition of anti-democratic movements and far-right extremism. Neo-Nazi groups formed there after German reunification in the 1990s, followed by members of the Reichsbürger movement and associates of the National Socialist Underground (NSU) terrorist group.

The election result reflects a nationwide trend of growing support for far-right extremists across Germany. Freitag warned: "Not all of Hartung's voters can be described as far-right extremists; however, this election must not be downplayed."

Despite the close call, the election has spurred civil society: the town's more than 300 associations are drawing closer together for democracy and diversity. Sell noted: "In the past, the network was weak. It didn't really work. But now, something is starting to take shape."

Source: www.dw.com