Landslide Victory for Germany’s Far-Right AfD in State Election Piles Pressure on Chancellor Merz
The far-right party won 43.8% of the vote and may need defectors or a five-party coalition to govern, officials said.
- On Sunday, the far-right Alternative Germany party secured a landslide victory in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, potentially enabling the formation of the first right-wing populist state government in Germany since the Nazi era.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faced intense pressure after failing to weaken the party as promised, as widespread discontent with the national government's inability to stimulate Germany's sluggish economy fueled the shift.
- AfD captured 43.8% of the vote, more than double its showing five years ago, while the Christian Democrats polled 17.2%, losing half their support; turnout reached 77.8%.
- Mainstream parties have maintained a "firewall" refusing to work with AfD, yet the party could theoretically govern by forming an unusual coalition with the hard-left BSW, which received 5.3% of the vote.
- AfD national leader Alice Weidel described the result as a "signal for change" regarding migration policy, while billionaire Elon Musk and Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev separately praised the outcome.
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Friedrich Merz once promised to halve the AfD, now she doubled her result in Saxony-Anhalt. Does he have to change his course? And: Like the AfD
Merz ‘deeply shocked’ as far-right victory tests Germany’s political firewall
The fallout from the AfD’s landslide in Saxony-Anhalt is testing Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s reform agenda, Germany’s support for Ukraine and the political firewall designed to keep the far-right out of power.
Dnevni list Danas
Naslovi.netRecord result for AfD: crucial concerns of voters for peace in Europe, social security and the economy, not migration. A successful election campaign, an unpopular federal chancellor and winning over former non-voters helped.
After the CDU's disastrous election result in Saxony-Anhalt, all eyes are now on Chancellor Friedrich Merz
AfD wins election in Saxony-Anhalt and ample pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz; analysts see the risk of new victories from the far right in Europe.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was "profoundly shocked" on Monday by the historic victory of the far right
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