World
Olaf Scholz kicks off German Unity Day in a former eastern stronghold
As Germany celebrates 34 years of national unification, the chancellor’s choice of location for the national anniversary leaves many wondering how politically harmonious the nation is in the face of a looming 2025 federal election.
Germany marked 34 years of unification on Thursday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attending a ceremony in the picturesque Schwerin, a city in the country’s former east.
During a speech delivered at the nation’s northern Mecklenburg State Theatre, the German leader said that Germany’s formerly divided west and east should no longer be distinguished.
This should be especially apparent for “young people”, Scholz said, adding “The life satisfaction of Germans in east and west has largely equalised.”
A testament to this is that “many global technology companies are now also setting up in east Germany,” he explained.
Despite the celebration — marking the end of 40-years of the political Federal Republic and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) binaries — the chancellor cautioned that Germans should never forget this divisive period, which resulted in the “collapse” for many east Germans.
After a flag of German unity was raised for the first time out the front of the Reichstag building in Berlin in 1990, millions of Germans in the east lost their jobs. Millions more were forced to migrate to the west looking for better opportunities.
The 2024 “Setting Sail as One”-themed German Unity Day events aims to highlight this, with Scholz reiterating in his speech this loss must “never be forgotten”. But the location of the commemoration also poses a potential prescient warning: that the country risks being split once again, and on ideological lines.
The salience of Schwerin
Schwerin is the capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which comprises of a 79-seat parliament. Almost half of these seats are occupied by one of the country’s oldest and most important political bodies, the Social Democrats (SPD), which includes Scholz as a member.
But the opposition, comprising of a relatively new and powerful political force, the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), is representative of a new far-right shift in the German state.
The populist, Eurosceptic party won 14 seats in the most recent Mecklenburg-Vorpommern parliamentary elections — beating the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party by roughly 3% of the votes.
On Germany’s Unity Day, the AfD posted on social media platform X that although the Berlin Wall has been torn down, a new ideological barrier attempts to “divide the country”. This is the federal chairman of the CDU Friedrich Merz, the party said.
“People have long felt the catastrophic effects of established politics in their everyday lives: outdoor swimming pools, discos and streets are no longer safe,” the post said.
“Against this background, more and more citizens are realizing that our country can no longer afford any more ‘firewall’ left-wing governments. The wall must go — and a political change with the AfD must come!”
The CDU retaliated with its own social media post, stating that “unity” was a goal established since the party’s 1945-founding.
The AfD’s meteoric rise is demonstrative of a wider right tilt across the European continent, with recent Austrian, Dutch and European Parliamentary elections showing public appetite is increasing for anti-immigrant, nationalist and fiscally conservative governments.
ADVERTISEMENTIt is also representative of a growing politically divided population in Germany’s eastern states — particularly pronounced in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg — and showing in recent election results.
The AfD also won a second blocking minority in the east German state of Thuringia early in September, meaning it can now elect constitutional judges in the state.
Weeks later, the AfD garnered the second largest share of votes at the Brandenburg state election, with the contest also drawing the highest voter turnout (73%) since reunification.
These mammoth eastern gains for the far-right track with what the research suggests.
ADVERTISEMENTA recent study crunched electoral campaign data to discern AfD’s surging popularity in Germany’s east. Researchers found there was a slightly higher level of nativist and populist sentiment among those in the east compared to the west at the 2017 federal election.
These feelings were particularly prevalent in older citizens, which, according to the research, was also among Germans who developed strong political ideals during 1945 post-war “separation”.
The left and right divide
Another interesting player in Germany’s east is Sahra Wagenknecht of the recently-formed Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW).
The self-described “left conservative“, and a former member of the Die Linke (Left Party), announced in October 2023 she would start her own political party. Months later, she announced her desire to be part of Germany’s eastern regions’ new governments
ADVERTISEMENTBSW ranked third in the holy trinity of German eastern state elections — Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg — which is a kind of success that shocked commentators across Germany just as much as the AfD’s recent wins.
Despite the many ostensible differences between the far right and the far left, the AfD and BSW share commonalities on wanting to curb Germany’s military support to Ukraine and clamp down on migration, among other issues.
The parties are also gaining support at the federal level, with the AfD securing 12.6% of the votes at the 2021 national election, making it the third largest party in the Bundestag.
Scholz announced in July he intends to run for re-election in 2025, which has left many scratching their heads whether he and his ruling traffic-light coalition — comprising the SPD’s, the Greens and the Freedom Democratic Party — will be voted-in for another term.
ADVERTISEMENTMore importantly, many wonder if the traditional ruling major parties, particularly in the country’s east, will survive amid the growing popularity of political polarisation.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices rose in early trading Sunday as a standoff between Iran and the U.S. prevented tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf waterway that is crucial to global energy supplies.
The price of U.S. crude oil increased 6.4% to $87.90 per barrel an hour after trading resumed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 5.8% to $95.64 per barrel.
The market reaction followed more than two days of lifted hopes and dashed expectations involving the strait. Crude prices plunged more than 9% Friday after Iran said it would fully reopen the strait, which it effectively controls, to commercial traffic.
Tehran reversed that decision and fired on several vessels Saturday after President Donald Trump said a U.S. Navy blockade of Iranian ports would remain in effect. On Sunday, Trump said the U.S. attacked and forcibly seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that allegedly tried to get around the blockade. Iran’s joint military command vowed to respond.
Sunday’s higher prices wiped out much of the declines seen Friday, signaling renewed doubts about how soon ships will again transport the vast amounts oil the world gets from the Middle East.
The US-Israeli war against Iran, now in its eighth week, has created one of the worst global energy crises in decades. Countries in Asia and Europe that import much of their oil from the Gulf have felt the most impact of halted supplies and production cuts, although rapidly rising gasoline, diesel and jet fuel prices are affecting businesses and consumers worldwide.
Asked when he thought U.S. motorists would again see gas cost less than $3 a gallon on average, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said prices at the pump might not go down that much until next year.
“But prices have likely peaked, and they’ll start going down,” Wright told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
The price of crude oil — the main ingredient in gasoline — has fluctated dramatically since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, and as Iran retaliated with airstrikes on other Gulf states. Crude traded at roughly $70 a barrel before the conflict, spiked to more than $119 at times, and previously closed Friday at $82.59 for U.S. oil and $90.38 for Brent.
Industry analysts have repeatedly warned that the longer the strait is closed, the worse prices could get.
A fragile, two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is set to expire Wednesday, while escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz puts the fate of new talks to end the war into question.
Even if a lasting deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz emerges, analysts say it could take months for oil shipments to return to normal levels and for fuel prices to go down. Backed-up tanker traffic, shipowners concerned about another sudden escalation, and energy infrastructure damaged during the war are factors that could impede production and shipment volumes from returning to pre-war levels.
A gallon of regular gas cost an average of nearly $4.05 a gallon in the U.S. on Sunday, according to motor club federation AAA. That’s about 8 cents lower than a week ago, but far higher than $2.98 before the war.
Trump warns Iran it ‘can’t blackmail’ US with Hormuz closure
Fox News reports on heightened tensions in the Middle East as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reaffirms strict control over the Strait of Hormuz and fires on passing ships. President Donald Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, states the US naval blockade will remain in full force. White House correspondent Alex Hogan provides updates on the escalating diplomatic and military standoff.
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Hundreds of commercial tankers are stranded on both sides of the Strait of Hormuz after Iran shut the critical chokepoint on April 18, halting traffic and leaving crews trapped amid reports of gunfire and “traumatic experiences” on board.
The Strait of Hormuz is considered an international waterway under international law, through which ships have the right of transit passage, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, making it a critical chokepoint for global energy markets, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Iranian gunboats opened fire on a tanker the same day, while a projectile struck a container vessel, damaging cargo.
STARMER AND MACRON ACCUSED OF ‘PLAYING AT BEING RELEVANT’ WITH STRAIT OF HORMUZ PLAN
U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that “U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers are among the assets executing a blockade mission impacting Iranian ports.” (CENTCOM)
Audio released by maritime monitoring group TankerTrackers appears to capture the moment a vessel and its crew came under fire while approaching the strait, including a distress call from a crew member.
“Sepah Navy! Motor tanker Sanmar Herald! You gave me clearance to go… you are firing now. Let me turn back!” the crew member can be heard saying in the recording, according to TankerTrackers.
Iranian state media confirmed that shots were fired near vessels to force them to turn back, while the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India said the foreign secretary was deeply concerned.
Hapag-Lloyd, the world’s fifth-largest container shipping line, told Fox News Digital that it had activated a crisis team as its crews remain stuck on board vessels in the region.
“We have been working from Friday afternoon until today with the entire crisis team to bring the vessels out — in vain, unfortunately,” said Nils Haupt, senior director of group communications at Hapag-Lloyd AG.
“These events can easily lead to traumatic experiences. There is also a significant risk from sea mines, which has made insuring vessels for passage through the Strait nearly impossible.”
LISA DAFTARI: HORMUZ WHIPLASH PROVES TEHRAN CAN’T HONOR ANY DEAL IT SIGNS
“The crews are well, but they are becoming increasingly impatient and frustrated. It is very unfortunate that we could not leave today,” he added. “Many ships are still stuck in the Persian Gulf.”
“Our six ships are anchored near the port of Dubai, and all crews hope for an improvement in the situation,” Haupt said.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on April 18 that the strait would remain closed until the U.S. lifts its blockade on Iranian ports, warning ships not to move from anchorage or risk being treated as “enemy” collaborators.
Iran has previously argued that restrictions on its oil exports and shipping amount to “economic warfare,” framing actions in the Strait of Hormuz as a response to foreign pressure on its economy, according to statements from Iranian officials and state media in past incidents.
“Approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy, and any violating vessel will be targeted,” the IRGC said in a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim News Agency.
TRUMP ORDERS A BLOCKADE IN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS TENSIONS WITH IRAN SOAR
Fishing boats dot the sea as cargo ships, in the background, sail through the Arabian Gulf toward the Strait of Hormuz off the United Arab Emirates, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo)
The United States imposed the blockade on Iranian ports to pressure Tehran to reopen the strait, with U.S. Central Command saying the measures are being enforced “impartially against all vessels.”
Hapag-Lloyd said its vessels have been stuck for weeks following the initial closure after the outbreak of war with Iran on Feb. 28.
“For us, it is critical that our vessels can pass through the strait soon,” Haupt said.
“We offer all crew members unlimited data so they can video call loved ones and access entertainment. Crews are strong, but after weeks on board there is growing monotony and frustration.”
“One crew experienced a fire on board from bomb fragments. Others have seen missiles or drones near their vessels,” he added.
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“They are resilient, but each additional day makes the situation more difficult, more monotonous, and more stressful.”
President Donald Trump said Iran had agreed not to close the strait again but after the closure, Trump called the situation “blackmail” and said the U.S. would not back down.
Shops and schools shut in northern Israel as residents protested a 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon that took effect on April 16, saying “nothing was achieved”. Israeli officials say operations may continue, with forces still deployed inside southern Lebanon.
Published On 19 Apr 2026
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