In 2016 the debate about refugees still dominated German politics although，compared to the previous year，the number of people who sought sanctuary in Germany declined quite substantially （from 890，000 in 2015 to 280，000 in 2016）. The elections in the federal states （Länder） Baden-Württemberg，Rhineland-Palatinate，Saxony-Anhalt，Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and Berlin were marked by a comparatively high voter turnout and the success of the right-wing populist party AfD. There were quite substantial voter movements，but they did not lead to any change in the parties heading the governments. The results of the 2017 federal election will crucially depend on the performance of the AfD and the SPD. A three-party coalition may become necessary because the SPD does not seem keen to enter into a third Grand Coalition with Angela Merkel. At present，the German party system only insufficiently manages to translate voters’ choices into viable coalition alternatives.