http://dx.doi.org/10.59704/d19bafef7a13c215 https://verfassungsblog.de/indirect-militant-democracy/ Indirect Militant Democracy - What German Runoffs Tell Us About Ranked Choice Voting Khaitan, Tarunabh eng 2026-09-15 electronic resource text/html ddc:342 AfD Election law Militant Democracy Party bans proportional representation Verfassungsblog Verfassungsblog--2366-7044 CC BY-SA 4.0 In June 2023, the AfD won the district administration of Sonneberg. Between the first round and the runoff, the AfD’s vote share rose from 46.7 to 52.8 per cent, a gain of 6.1 percentage points. Its CDU opponent went from 35.7 to 47.2 per cent, gaining 11.5 points. The AfD won, but its eleven-point lead almost halved. Requiring it to compete for support beyond its initial electorate made victory harder. The episode recommends a form of indirect militant democracy: electoral rules that make limited appeal beyond a party’s committed supporters a disadvantage.