European leaders voice concern as Germany's far-right AfD wins key state election

Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany moved to the brink of state power in Saxony-Anhalt, winning 44% of the vote in Sunday’s election, according to exit polls. The party fell short of an overall majority but finished first, delivering a major setback to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives.

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It seems they’re just a few votes short of an absolute majority, but this is indeed a very worrying sign.

The result marked the first time since World War Two that a far-right party has come so close to governing at state level. It also underscored the deep unpopularity of Germany’s ruling coalition as the country’s political landscape fractures.

French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said German business leaders he had spoken with were “extremely concerned.” He described the result as a sign of “a major challenge in the face of a populist wave which is spreading around the world today and which we must resist,” calling it a “very, very worrying signal.”

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This shows that we face a major challenge in the face of a populist wave which is spreading around the world today and which we must resist.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski also expressed concern. “It seems they’re just a few votes short of an absolute majority, but this is indeed a very worrying sign,” he told Radio Vox FM.

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We have made history in this country.

The AfD is already Germany’s most popular party at national level. Its agenda includes tighter restrictions on immigration, restoring ties with Russia, reducing support for Ukraine and leaving the euro. Lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund said the result showed voters wanted political change with the AfD and cast the state election as a first step toward national power in the 2029 federal elections.

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The people have made it absolutely clear that they finally want political change and, above all, they have shown that they want it with us.