Inside the Reichstag, Germany's home to parliament

Our RIAS group took a guided tour of Berlin's Reichstag building which houses Germany's federal parliament called the Bundestag. It's a beautiful stately structure dating back to 1894. The glass dome at the rooftop was built later in 2004.

                   

 

Inside the Reichstag is where politicians meet year-round except for August when they are in summer recess. Currently, there are 709 seats (compared to 535 voting members in U.S. Congress). Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel's party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and sister party (Christian Sister Union), hold the most seats in the Bundestag.

During our stay in Berlin, we had the opportunity to speak with several political members from the Green Party, CDU and the Alternative for Germany (AfD). While most of the talks were off the record, I can say that there is common sentiment the stronger political parties like the CDU and Social Democratic Union (SDU) that have dominated in the past decades are not as strong as before.

This is partly due to the AfD party which has gained popularity since it was founded in 2013. Its far-right beliefs are centered around nationalism (preserving Germany's national identity) and is often viewed as anti-immigrant and xenophobic. 

Many Germans I spoke with in Cologne, Munich and Berlin are uneasy about the AfD's rise in the political spectrum saying the members are racists and not open-minded to immigration in the country. However, the AfD member we spoke with says that is not true. 

Regardless of the policies of each political party, Germany seems to be going through change, and it'll be interesting to see how the future unfolds. 

Danke RIAS for exposing us to the different political parties and current challenges the state is tackling.

(From left to right: Jordan, Jessica, Kenya, Kane, Me, Letese, Bryan, Justin, Sage, Carol, Bonnie, Judith and Andrew)