Gasoline prices in Germany have increased by more than 15% in just the past month, after Middle East tensions escalated, sparking a new wave of debate about energy policy. In that context, the far-right AfD party quickly seized the opportunity to promote its long-standing view: Germany should return to buying gas and oil from Russia.
In the industrial state of Baden-Württemberg - the German automobile manufacturing center - the issue of energy prices has become the focus of the local election campaign. Mr. Markus Frohnmaier, the leading candidate for AfD, frankly stated that energy costs in Germany are currently double that of the US or China, causing the economy to lose its competitive advantage.
This campaign revolves around economy, economy and economy" - he emphasized.
AfD has consolidated its position as the second largest party in Germany, with about 20% of the votes in both Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate, the party's highest level in the western region.
AfD believes that to restore "energy sovereignty" and reduce electricity prices, Germany needs to resume energy imports from Russia - a country that supplied more than half of Germany's gas demand and more than 1/3 of Germany's crude oil before 2022.
After the Ukraine conflict and the closure of the Nord Stream pipeline, Germany was forced to find alternative sources from Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium. However, higher costs pushed the German economy into a 2-year recession.
Not only energy prices, the wave of job cuts in the manufacturing sector - which is under pressure from high costs and competition from China - is making voters increasingly dissatisfied. According to observers, this is the ideal environment for AfD to promote the message of "returning to Russian energy".
Johannes Hillje - a political scientist specializing in AfD, said that compared to abstract geopolitical arguments, the issue of electricity and gasoline prices directly affects people's lives, so it is easier to create a spreading effect.
However, this proposal has faced strong reactions from mainstream parties. Mr. Roderich Kiesewetter of the CDU party warned that increasing Russian energy imports will weaken the trust of partners.
However, many opinions within major parties have also begun to lean towards restoring economic relations with Moscow.
Germany once built a growth model based on cheap energy from Russia for 2 decades under former Chancellors Gerhard Schroeder and Angela Merkel. This supply cut left an unfillable gap.
As the next elections in the east - where AfD has a great opportunity to seize power - are approaching, the story of Russian oil and gas is likely to continue to be a hot topic.
