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🇦🇹 Austria /Elections & Politics

Before an AfD Victory in Saxony-Anhalt: Has the Firewall Failed, Armin Laschet?

From Die Presse · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Interview Named sources Ongoing story
  • Former CDU leader Armin Laschet discusses the AfD’s expected strong showing in the Saxony-Anhalt state election and the crisis facing Germany’s political center.
  • Laschet says the AfD would remain strong even if migration fell to zero and criticizes the performance of his own side.
  • The interview also addresses Europe’s reliance on the United States and Laschet’s view that Germany must not become a party to the Ukraine war.

“If we had migration at zero, the AfD would still be strong,” Armin Laschet says in an interview recorded on the sidelines of the Forum Alpbach. The former CDU leader is addressing a political crisis that has left Germany’s center parties struggling to contain the right-wing populist party.

All eyes are on Saxony-Anhalt, where voters are due to elect a new state parliament on Sunday. The AfD could win a state election for the first time in the history of the Federal Republic, a prospect that has produced what the publication describes as a kind of paralysis in Germany’s political center.

If we had migration at zero, the AfD would still be strong.

· Armin LaschetHe argued that migration alone does not explain the AfD’s support.

Laschet, who came close to becoming chancellor in 2021, discusses the AfD’s rise and the limits of the political “firewall” designed to keep it from power. He also takes a hard look at his own government record, saying, “You can only be moderately satisfied with politics.”

The conversation ranges beyond domestic politics. Laschet speaks about Friedrich Merz, Germany’s ability to act, and Europe’s dependence on the United States. He also argues that Germany must not become a party to the war in Ukraine.

You can only be moderately satisfied with politics.

· Armin LaschetHe criticized the performance of his own political side.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Presse in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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