Five reasons behind the AfD's rise

The historic night in Magdeburg had barely ended when the questions began. Why did more than 43.8 percent of voters choose a party that challenges the lessons of German history? What do they expect from the AfD, and what does it offer that the others currently do not?

One answer lies in competence. Conservatives once relied on voters believing they could govern the country effectively, even when CDU policies were unpopular. Now the AfD has begun to close that gap, according to a post-election survey by infratest dimap. In Saxony-Anhalt, 30 percent of all eligible voters said the far-right party offered the best solutions for the economy, a 22-point increase from the 2021 state election. The AfD ranked two points ahead of the CDU, traditionally viewed as the party of the economy.

The party also gained ground on issues including eastern German interests, jobs, education policy and social security. Voters trusted it most to fight crime, with 40 percent assigning it that competence. Among AfD voters, internal security, immigration and social security ranked as the most important campaign issues. Seventy-two percent also agreed that democracy and the rule of law were under threat.

Eastern Germany's political distance from the rest of the country was already visible in the 2025 federal election. While the AfD placed second nationwide with 20.8 percent, it came first in Saxony-Anhalt with 37.1 percent. The article points to several factors, including weak party loyalties, economic conditions, low pensions, population decline and eastern German identity politics.

Promises from Berlin have also lost credibility. Olaf Scholz's 2021 campaign, built around respect and a minimum wage, resonated in the east, but many eastern Germans believe he failed to deliver as chancellor. Friedrich Merz has also disappointed them, and campaign encounters portrayed him as a West German manager who talks a lot and delivers little. The AfD, which has never governed, appears fresh by comparison. In Saxony-Anhalt, it faced parties that had either held power or were still in government, creating a two-sided contest: the AfD presenting itself as the party of change, hope and renewal, and the others urging tactical voting.