Far Right AfD Poised for Major Gains in Saxony Anhalt Regional Elections
10 sources across 6 countries
Who reported this
- Der Spiegel
- Sueddeutsche Zeitung
- Deutsche Welle
- Frankfurter Allgemeine
- Le Monde
- France 24
- South China Morning Post
- The Times of Israel
- Asahi Shimbun
- Bloomberg
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
- A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.
Political lean describes where an outlet sits within the politics of its own country. It is never a position on a single global scale.
Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.
The owner of each outlet is listed as a matter of record, not as a judgement about the outlet.
The far right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is expected to win the regional elections in the eastern state of Saxony Anhalt this Sunday. Polls suggest the party may become the strongest force in the state; some projections indicate it could receive as many as 42 percent of the vote. This result could mark the first time a far right party has taken power at the state level in German post war history. The AfD lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, has expressed a desire to form a single party government to implement the party's platform without compromise.
The AfD platform includes a radical tightening of asylum laws, the creation of a Remigration Task Force, and a proposed return program to encourage Germans living abroad to move back to the region. The party also advocates for a rapprochement with Russia and an end to sanctions. Additionally, the AfD has proposed replacing compulsory schooling with a choice between school and home instruction. Federal Education Minister Karin Prien, a member of the CDU, has called the proposal to abolish compulsory schooling a societal catastrophe.
In response to the projected victory, thousands of people have demonstrated in Magdeburg and Halle for a cosmopolitan and open society. These rallies, which included groups such as Omas gegen Rechts and CSD Sachsen Anhalt, have called for a ban on the AfD. Meanwhile, political tensions remain high among traditional parties. Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the CDU has criticized the AfD's rhetoric and stated that the CDU would not collaborate with the AfD or the Left Party. However, some within the CDU and the Left Party have discussed the possibility of a minority government or point to existing arrangements in other eastern states.
Analysts and officials offer different explanations for the AfD's rise. The government official for East Germany, Elisabeth Kaiser, attributes the trend to persistent East West divisions and the economic disruption following reunification. Other observers point to dissatisfaction with traditional parties, economic stagnation, and concerns over migration.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These outlets emphasized the democratic protests against the AfD and the potential dangers of the party's policy proposals.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the potential for a historic far right victory and the socio economic drivers behind it.
- Centre-right
- These outlets highlighted the internal strategic conflicts within the CDU and the pragmatic considerations of coalition building.
Sources
- Centre-left Asahi Shimbun: Far-right AfD state premier candidate says "bring back the good, old Germany", parliamentary elections in eastern state
- Centre Bloomberg: ‘We Can Only Win’: The Rise of the Far Right in Eastern Germany
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Saxony-Anhalt: News on the state election: Thousands of people demonstrate in Magdeburg for a cosmopolitan society
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Sachsen-Anhalt: "An election that could change German history", International Press
- Centre Deutsche Welle: Germany news: Thousands expected at Saxony-Anhalt rallies
- Centre Deutsche Welle: What would an AfD government in Saxony-Anhalt really mean?
- Centre France 24: Regional elections in Germany: the far right hopes to win in Saxony Anhalt
- Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: Election in Saxony-Anhalt: The CDU argues about the Left Party. And the Left?
- Centre-left Le Monde: In Saxony-Anhalt, the threatened forest, a new field of offensive for the far right on the eve of regional elections
- Centre-right South China Morning Post: Why former East Germany became the stronghold of far-right AfD
- Centre-left Sueddeutsche Zeitung: Election in Saxony-Anhalt: Thousands of people demonstrate in Magdeburg
- Centre The Times of Israel: German far-right AfD party’s projected win puts Jews between the left and a hard place
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.