Europe’s centre fears nationalist wave after far-right AfD wins state in Germany
The far-right AfD party achieved a historic result in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, securing 43.8% of the vote. This surge has caused alarm among European political leaders, who fear a broader nationalist trend across the continent.
Why it matters
The rise of the AfD challenges the stability of the traditional political center in Germany and signals potential shifts in the European political landscape.
‘It starts here’: is the AfD’s win in Saxony-Anhalt just the beginning for the far-right’s European resurgence? ‘It starts here’: is the AfD’s win in Saxony-Anhalt just the beginning for the far-right’s European resurgence? The far right Analysis Europe’s centre fears nationalist wave after far-right AfD wins state in Germany Jon Henley Europe correspondent ‘Historic’ win in Saxony-Anhalt may show voters’ discontent with political centre, but sweeping conclusions cannot yet be drawn
The numbers speak for themselves: Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), a party that dabbles in Nazi imagery, distinguishes between “biological” and “passport” Germans, and is too extreme even for France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen, nearly doubled its score in Sunday’s state election in Saxony-Anhalt to 43.8% of the vote.
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