🔶 AfD’s historic victory; shock in Germany and Europe

🔶 AfD’s historic victory; shock in Germany and Europe

AfD’s historic victory in the state parliament elections in Saxony-Anhalt has gone beyond the borders of this state and sparked a wave of political and social reactions in Germany, Europe, and even the United States.

According to the initial result after the full count of votes, AfD placed first with 43.8% of the vote, with a significant gap, while the Christian Democratic Party won 17.2%, reaching its worst result in the history of the Saxony-Anhalt state election.

The Alternative for Germany has received the highest vote share in all 218 cities and districts of the state and is only three seats away from an absolute majority in the state parliament. Voter turnout, at about 78%, has reached an unprecedented level.

The election result is not only a major shift in the balance of power in Saxony-Anhalt. The scale of AfD’s victory, its distance from the traditional parties, and its proximity to an absolute majority have turned this election into a test for the entire party system in Germany.

Ulrich Siegmund, AfD’s lead candidate, said on the evening of the election: “We achieved exactly what we wanted: we wrote history in this state.” Alice Weidel, one of the party’s two leaders, spoke of a “clear mission to form a government,” although the Christian Democratic Party continues to reject any coalition with AfD.

Outside Germany, one of the sharpest reactions came from Warsaw. Donald Tusk, Poland’s prime minister, wrote on the X platform that in Poland “only fools or traitors can be happy about AfD’s victory in Germany.”

Benjamin Haddad, Europe minister in France’s government, also called the election outcome a “dangerous moment for Europe” and wrote: “We must listen with humility to anger, concerns, and fears, and respond to them. But nationalism and xenophobia will never be the solution.” He also warned at the same time: “We must not forget our own history.”

But across the political spectrum in Europe, the outcome of the Saxony-Anhalt election was welcomed. Tomio Okamura, speaker of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and leader of the far-right party “Freedom and Direct Democracy,” congratulated AfD on its victory and called it the result of “the bad policies of liberal and pro-EU parties.”

Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister and leader of the populist right-wing party “Lega,” also wrote to Alice Weidel and her party: “Fear? Panic? Danger? No, that is called democracy. A different Europe may be possible.”

Geert Wilders, the Dutch populist right-wing politician, also welcomed the result of this election by posting the German word “Congratulations.”