Making Abuse More Costly

What happens when executive power in a German federal state falls into the hands of authoritarian populists? Everyone knows by now that this can happen – and will, perhaps rather soon. Elections are scheduled in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in September; within six months, the AfD could control two of Germany's 16 state justice ministries. We are taking a close look: with additional editorial capacity, we will follow both states before, during, and after the elections – in a dedicated Spotlight section on Verfassungsblog.