After the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) won strongly in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, a debate has opened in Germany over what shared idea could unite voters. Author Simon Strauß proposed in the newspaper FAZ that left, centre and right rally around the concept of the "republic", calling terms like "democracy" worn out; in a reply in the taz, cultural manager Wolf Iro rejected this as vague and historically flawed. Iro argues that Germany's Basic Law (its post-war constitution) is a clearer common foundation, which matters as mainstream parties and commentators search for ways to respond to the AfD's rise.