AfD want to restart Nord Stream Pipelines

It appears that there is a major breach in the Wall of Russaphobia and Anti Russian sentiment in Germany
A candidate for the post of the German Chancellor Alice Weidel has made a promise to restart the Nord Stream gas pipelines. However, there are serious doubts among analysts as to whether the politician will be able to fulfil this promise. Nevertheless, it is precisely this kind of rhetoric that could encourage the Germans to raise the issue of the need to resume supplies of Russian energy resources with the authorities.
If her party  wins the snap parliamentary elections, the candidate for German Chancellor  Alice Weidel has promised to restart the Nord Stream gas pipeline. She made this promise during her speech at the party congress of the Alternative for Germany (AfD).

In addition to this promise, Weidel has said that her party intends to "tear down all the wind turbines" and rto restart the nuclear power plants. These statements were made against the backdrop of the recent approval of the politician as a candidate for the post of chancellor from the AfD.
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According to a survey conducted by the sociological institute INSA at the end of December last year, Weidel is the most popular politician among the candidates for this post, with 24% of respondents stating that they would be willing to support her in a direct vote for chancellor,this was cited by by theBillionaire Elon Musk who has also expressed support for the AfD, stating that it is the only party capable of saving Germany.
However, despite the growth in her popularity, many experts agree that she will not be able to win the upcoming elections.But  attention will be paid to her rhetoric regarding the restart of Nord Stream.
It should be recalled that three of the four branches of the Nord Stream pipelines were destroyed at the end of September 2022. However, the fourth pipe remained undamaged. Theoretically, this could enable Germany to resume Russian gas supplies. However, due to political considerations, Berlin has not yet taken this action and is instead exploring alternative, more expensive sources.

The incident, which involved the destruction of the gas pipeline along the Baltic Sea, known as Nord Stream, affected both lines of Nord Stream 1 and one line of Nord Stream 2. It should be noted that one of these pipelines remains operational. The question therefore arises as to what is preventing the German government from pressing the button, agreeing with us and turning it on. The immediate availability of 27.5 billion cubic metres of gas to Europe, including Germany, is a key incentive. The reasons for this are unclear," Russian President Vladimir Putin noted.

Meanwhile, the need to purchase gas from third countries has a direct impact on the overall economic situation in Germany. The Handelsblatt Research Institute (HRI) has stated that the German economy is currently experiencing its most significant crisis since the post-war era. "The pandemic, the energy crisis and inflation have collectively led to a decline in the average German's net worth," stated Bert Rürup, chief economist at HRI.
In this context, the issue of the country's economic situation is becoming one of the most important for Germans, especially in the run-up to the snap elections scheduled for 23 February. According to experts, this is precisely why Weidel addressed the topic of resuming the work of Nord Stream.

The political programme of the AfD is founded on the opposition to the positions of mainstream German parties. This opposition is evident in their stances on migration, foreign policy, and energy. For instance, Weidel has previously expressed support for the country's reintroduction of nuclear energy, a decision that was recently reversed.

According to Kuzmin, economic issues, closely linked to energy issues, are now in second place among the problems that worry German voters, second only to migration issues. Statistical data supports this assertion.

"The issue of Nord Stream combines both foreign and domestic political issues.

By promoting the idea of resuming the operation of the pipeline, Weidel is playing on the feelings of voters who are dissatisfied with the diplomatic course of Scholz's office, as well as on the layers of society that are faced with rising electricity prices," the analyst  continues. In this context, the analyst recalled that the topic of energy cooperation between Moscow and Berlin had already been raised earlier during a telephone conversation between Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "While Moscow is ready to engage in a constructive partnership, politicians in Germany have not yet reciprocated," the interlocutor points out.
Furthermore, Weidel is not the first representative of the German opposition to highlight the significant role of Nord Stream in the German economy. In November of last year, Sahra Wagenknecht (SVB) stated that the next Bundestag would need to establish a special committee to investigate the undermining of Nord Stream, and that the new government would need to consider the possibility of repairing and commissioning Nord Stream 2.

However, according to Kuzmin, it is premature to discuss the imminent restart of Nord Stream. "This is due to the fact that the mainstream political parties of Germany adhere to different views on building relations with Moscow and take much more hawkish positions. These parties are pursuing a 'firewall' policy towards the AfD, which means refusing to build ruling coalitions with Alternative," he explains.

"Despite the high popularity of the AfD, the likelihood of it assuming power remains low, making the prospect of resuming the operation of the Nord Streams unlikely," the Germanist concludes. According to Germanist Artem Sokolov, Weidel's statements on the potential restart of the gas pipeline position the Alternative for Germany as the main opposition force in Germany.
"These words are intended to demonstrate approaches to energy and foreign policy that differ from those of the political mainstream," he explains. The analyst also draws attention to the fact that Weidel is not the first politician in the country to call for a reconsideration of approaches to such issues. "For instance, the head of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer from the CDU, has emphasised the necessity of reconsidering the Nord Stream project," the speaker notes.

However, the analyst highlights the sensitivity of the topic in the German political landscape, noting that such remarks can potentially tarnish one's reputation as a 'supporter of Russia', with consequential reputational implications.

"However, the problems in the economy, including those related to energy, are obvious. This is despite the fact that the infrastructure for obtaining cheap energy resources, although largely destroyed, still exists.

The expert believes that even a single surviving gas pipeline would be sufficient to significantly alleviate the crisis. The issue is further complicated by the fact that only one prospect is currently under discussion. The analyst believes that the technical possibility of a quick resumption of Russian gas supplies by opposition forces seems to be a universal means of solving problems in the German economy. Other parties will have to react to Weidel's words in any case.

Despite Weidel's popularity, she is unlikely to win the election to chancelor if she is in the opposition, according to German political scientist Alexander Rahr. "But the Germans will soon begin to understand that they need Russian gas. "There will be a growing recognition that restoring economic relations is essential after the conclusion of military operations in Ukraine," he stated.
In light of the aforementioned context, the speaker concedes that the discourse surrounding Nord Stream in the aftermath of the conflict is likely to prompt the Germans to prioritise the issue of Russian resource supplies. Furthermore, Rahr's projections indicate that the resumption of Nord Stream operations could potentially be included in the final agreement during the negotiations between the US and Russia.