Berlin: In the Germany state elections, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has won a decisive victory. The elections were held for the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. The party, which has dubbed the victory to be ‘sensational’ is far ahead of its mainstream rivals.
However, as cited in a BBC report, the preliminary results show that the party has fallen short of an outright majority, which is needed to govern alone. This may lead to tricky negotiations as to decide, who will run the state.
This victory is significant as no far-right party has ever controlled a German state since World War Two. Governing at state level would mean powers over policing, local education and culture, experts said.
The state of Saxony-Anhalt has 2.1 million population, BBC reported. The AfD in the state is assessed by domestic intelligence as “right-wing extremist”. However, such a description has been rejected by a classification rejected by AfD’s leader in the state, Ulrich Siegmund.
It is being seen as a watershed moment in Germany’s politics. According to reports, such is the significance of this poll outcome that the main TV channel Das Erste cancelled its legendary crime drama Tatort to focus on what the result meant.
“This isn’t just about Saxony-Anhalt,” Siegmund told supporters, as BBC quoted. “It’s a signal for the whole of Germany – a self-confident signal,” he added.
US President Donald Trump posted a screenshot of the German TV projection on his Truth Social platform. Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev took a screengrab of Trump’s post and praised a “historic win for the pragmatic AfD”.
Dmitriev had earlier praised the Russia-friendly AfD. He had described it to be “the party of hope and reason, co-operation truth and hope for Germany”. Ahead of Germany’s federal election last year, US Vice-President JD Vance had also endorsed the party. However, this move was criticised in Germany as a political interference.
However, not all leaders across the world celebrated this victory. For Polish centre-right Prime Minister Donald Tusk, it was not something to be rejoiced over. “…in Poland only idiots and traitors can rejoice at the triumph of the AfD,” he reportedly said.