Annual Conference #AKPF24

On October 10 and 11, 2024, numerous scholars gathered at the Altes Heizhaus of TU Chemnitz for the annual conference of the Arbeitskreis Parteienforschung (AKPF) of the Deutsche Vereinigung für Politikwissenschaft (DVPW). Under the theme "Parties in Multi-Level Systems: Parliamentary and Governmental Implications of Recent Elections," participants engaged in discussions across five panels, each focusing on different aspects, particularly regarding recent state and local elections and their implications. The event was organized by the Chair of European Government Systems in Comparison.

As an introduction to the conference, a city tour titled "C the Unseen" took place just before the first academic presentations. This tour provided attendees with the opportunity to explore Chemnitz. It was organized and conducted by Melissa Mehner and Toni Suhr from the European History research group.

The conference opened with a comparative analysis of the state elections in Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia by Kerstin Völkl from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. Following this, Anna-Sophie Heinze (University of Trier) examined the voting behavior of young people and their relationship with the AfD. Manès Weisskircher from TU Dresden explored affective polarization in relation to renewable energies.

The second focus of the conference was on the development of the AfD: Benjamin Höhne (TU Chemnitz) analyzed the party’s position between mainstreaming and right-wing extremism. Nikolas Dietze from the University of Leipzig examined the AfD in the municipal context. Christian Stecker (TU Darmstadt) discussed how voters perceive the so-called "firewall" against the AfD and advocated for a more flexible approach to it.

The first day concluded with a panel discussion featuring representatives of Saxony’s state parliament parties. Moderated by Benjamin Höhne and Anna-Sophie Heinze, the discussion included Rico Gebhardt (MdL, DIE LINKE), Valentin Lippmann (MdL, BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN), Albrecht Pallas (MdL, SPD), Sophie Pojar (CDU), and Nico Rudolph (MdL, BSW), who explored potential new government coalitions in East Germany. Beforehand, they reflected—at times self-critically—on their parties’ election results and their organizational and strategic positioning ahead of the 2025 federal election.

The second day focused on the internal dynamics of political parties. Uwe Jun and Marius Minas from the University of Trier presented their analysis of the reasons for and obstacles to political participation in parties. Arndt Leininger (TU Chemnitz) examined when and why parties support direct democracy. Eric Linhart (TU Chemnitz) shared findings on the use of populist stylistic elements in the visual communication of political parties.

The final session centered on parties in parliaments and governments: Antonios Souris (Freie Universität Berlin) explored discursive strategies in the "blame game" of federal legislative debates. Werner Krause (University of Potsdam) analyzed the role of opinion polls in the electoral success of small parties. Moritz Uhlig (TU Chemnitz) concluded the conference with an analysis of the productivity of Spanish minority governments.

Through in-depth discussions and diverse contributions, this conference provided approximately 40 participants with comprehensive research insights into current political developments and future political decision-making within the complex interplay of the multi-level party system.