German right-wing party shocks with regional election wins

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced deep suprise at the regional election win for the nation’s right-wing political party, Alternative for Germany, known as AfD. Initial election results showed Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union party lost over half its support within the Saxony-Anhalt state, garnering just over 17% of the region’s support. The populist AfD received nearly 44% of the vote, with the Social Democrats, the Greens and Left Party each gathering under 10%.

Democracy demanded that the surprising results be accepted, but the election marked a turning point not just in Saxony-Anhalt, but in Germany as a whole, Merz said. The chancellor warned of the consequences and international implications wrought by the election.

The Pew Research Center characterized AfD’s initial 2024 election win as the first far-right political party win since World War II. The country has had to grapple with its national identity as voters in recent years shifted to the political right, WORLD reported last year.

How’s AfD responding? AfD’s Saxony-Anhalt state governor candidate Ulrich Siegmund characterized the Sunday vote as a historic national turning point during an evening address. This victory marked a leap of faith from the German people in taking back the country, he said. Siegmund vowed never to give up on the party or compromise its principles. The country’s next regional elections will take place in about two weeks, in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.