AfD gains limit East German funding in German parliament

Green Party Bundestag member Paula Piechotta says that federal spending for East Germany has dropped because the share of East German representatives in the Bundestag has fallen. The proportion of eastern MPs is projected to decline from 98 seats (about 15 % of the population) in 2021 to 56 seats (around 9 %) by 2025, with the SPD’s eastern delegation shrinking from 34 to 13 seats. Piechotta argues that the rise of the AfD, which occupies many seats, reduces the number of East German politicians in governing parties who can influence budget decisions, even though the AfD itself has no direct authority over fund allocation. The under‑representation has delayed major infrastructure projects such as the central railway line from Erfurt to Gößnitz and the new Dresden–Prague rail connection. She concludes that “each vote for the AfD makes the East poorer” and calls for more East German lawmakers in the governing coalitions to restore funding.