Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is poised for a historic breakthrough in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.
Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD’s prominent leader in Saxony-Anhalt, described the result as “sensational” and said the party wanted to begin governing as soon as possible. Dmitriev had previously praised the Russia-friendly party as one offering “hope and reason” and greater cooperation for Germany. The centre-right leader said that in Poland, “only idiots and traitors can rejoice at the triumph of the AfD.”
Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is poised for a historic breakthrough in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, opening the prospect of the party seeking to govern despite falling short of an outright majority. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, however, offered a sharply contrasting reaction.
US Vice-President JD Vance also backed the AfD ahead of Germany’s federal election last year, a move that drew criticism in Germany over alleged foreign political interference.
Siegmund and the party’s national co-leaders, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, celebrated as exit polls showed the AfD was on course to more than double its 2021 vote share.
A victory would mark an unprecedented development in post-war Germany, where no far-right party has previously taken control of a state government, according to the BBC report. US President Donald Trump shared a screenshot of the German election projection on his Truth Social platform, which Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev later reposted, describing the outcome as a “historic win for the pragmatic AfD”. State-level power would give the AfD influence over areas including policing, education and culture. The AfD’s strong performance was quickly described by political opponents and commentators as a major turning point, highlighting the growing influence of the far-right party in German politics. Public broadcaster Das Erste even replaced its long-running crime drama Tatort with special coverage examining the significance of the result. The result also drew attention abroad.