Former Chancellor Merkel Shocked by AfD Victory in Saxony-Anhalt

Angela Merkel says the AfD’s success in Saxony-Anhalt has struck at the foundations of fact-based political debate. “It is simply shocking,” the former chancellor and former CDU leader said at Deutsche Telekom’s Digital X trade fair in Cologne.

“

It is simply shocking.

The result also delivered a severe blow to her party. The CDU halved its share of the vote in the state, prompting Merkel to say: “As a CDU member, my heart is bleeding.” She described the election as “a turning point, a real turning point” in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Merkel called for democratic parties to change how they communicate with voters. Individual contact had probably become more important than in the past, she said, urging parties to seek closer contact with citizens and explain political progress more clearly.

“

As a CDU member, my heart is bleeding.

She said she was particularly concerned that facts no longer carried as much weight for many voters, who instead referred to their feelings. Merkel cited the claim that unemployment had fallen and individual prosperity had risen in Saxony-Anhalt. The AfD’s lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, had responded, in her account: “That may be so, but it doesn’t feel that way.”

“

That may be so, but it doesn’t feel that way.

Merkel said political parties must not allow that attitude to become accepted by a majority. “The achievement of the Enlightenment was that people as a whole could agree on facts,” she said. If feelings gained authority over facts, she warned, that would represent a step backward for civilization.

“

The achievement of the Enlightenment was that people as a whole could agree on facts.