Far Right AfD Wins Historic Victory in Saxony Anhalt State Election
18 sources across 10 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state
Who reported this
- G1
- UOL
- CNN Brasil
- Folha de S.Paulo
- Der Spiegel
- Deutsche Welle
- Frankfurter Allgemeine
- Financial Times
- Reuters
- The Economist
- elDiarioAR
- Infobae
- El Espectador
- The Japan Times
- Aftenposten
- Al Jazeera
- El Pais
- Bloomberg
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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The far right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won the regional elections in the state of Saxony Anhalt, securing approximately 44 percent of the vote. This result marks the first time since 1945 that a party classified as far right is positioned to potentially lead a state government in Germany. The AfD obtained 39 of the 83 seats in the regional parliament, leaving them three seats short of an absolute majority. The governing Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led nationally by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, suffered significant losses and received approximately 17 percent of the vote.
United States President Donald Trump celebrated the victory on Truth Social, attributing the result to a rejection of Germany's immigration rules. Trump used the phrase Make Germany Great Again (MGGA) and stated that Germans had grown tired of horrible immigration regulations. Elon Musk also expressed support for the result, responding to AfD co leader Alice Weidel with a message saying well done.
In response to the election, thousands of protesters gathered in cities including Berlin and Cologne. Demonstrators carried banners stating that fascism is not an alternative and warned that the victory poses a threat to democracy. The AfD platform includes calls for mass deportations of asylum seekers, a reduction in support for Ukraine, closer ties with Russia, and the reversal of certain climate policies.
Economists have expressed concern regarding the potential impact on the labor market. Some analysts suggest that an anti immigration government could deter foreign skilled workers from moving to the region, regardless of whether the state government has the legal authority to change federal immigration laws.
Political analysts are divided on the causes of the victory. Some center left perspectives frame the result as a failure of traditional parties to address social frustration and a warning about the rise of authoritarianism. Center right perspectives tend to emphasize the role of liberal immigration policies and voter frustration with the established political class as primary drivers. Some analysts also point to the historical right wing leanings of the Saxony Anhalt region as a critical factor.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- Framed the event as a dangerous rise of fascism and a failure of the democratic center to address social grievances.
- Centre
- Focused on the historical significance of the victory and the systemic failure of post war political safeguards.
- Centre-right
- Highlighted the role of immigration policy and voter frustration with established parties as the primary causes of the shift.
Sources
- Centre-right Aftenposten: Praises far right victory in German state
- Centre-left Al Jazeera: Anti-AfD protesters rally in Cologne after far-right election win
- Centre Bloomberg: Trump Hails Victory by Far-Right AfD in German State Election
- Centre CNN Brasil: Trump attributes AfD electoral victory in Germany to immigration policies
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Donald Trump and the AfD: The US President's dangerous love for the AfD
- Centre-left Der Spiegel: Donald Trump claims to have found formula for AfD success in Sachsen-Anhalt
- Centre Deutsche Welle: German economy frets about Saxony-Anhalt election results
- Centre-left El Espectador: Is the far right back in Germany?
- Centre-left El Pais: The German far right feels the wind at its back to win the next regional elections
- Centre Financial Times: Who is voting for the far-right Alternative for Germany?
- Centre Folha de S.Paulo: Far right victory in Germany confronts Europe with its ghosts
- Centre Folha de S.Paulo: With AfD in power, Germany enters unknown territory, says German history professor
- Centre-right Frankfurter Allgemeine: Press on Saxony-Anhalt: From "triple failure" to "insult to 'Never Again'"
- Centre-left G1: Trump celebrates far-right victory in Germany: 'They are on the rise'
- Centre-right Infobae: Trump celebrated the victory of Alternative for Germany in the regional elections of Saxony-Anhalt: "A great night"
- Centre Reuters: Trump attributes state election win of Germany's far-right AfD to immigration rules - reuters.com
- Centre-right The Economist: What should Germany do about its rising right?
- Centre The Japan Times: Germany is in a very dark place, and time’s running out
- Centre The Japan Times: Far right’s victory clouds Merz’s reform agenda as ally seeks changes
- Centre-left UOL: Far right victory in Germany confronts Europe with its ghosts
- Centre-left elDiarioAR: Protests against AfD spread through Germany after its electoral victory: “Fascism is not an alternative”
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.