HISTORICAL FACTS: 2 - Caught on Camera

Europe’s centre fears nationalist wave after AfD victory but only has itself to blame

Saxony-Anhalt win part of wider trend driven by mainstream policy failures and gradual normalisation of far right ideas

The Guardian - UK · Sep 7

Merz ‘deeply shocked’ as far-right victory tests Germany’s political firewall

The fallout from the AfD’s landslide in Saxony-Anhalt is testing Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s reform agenda, Germany’s support for Ukraine and the political firewall designed to keep the far-right out of power.

Radio France Internationale · Sep 7

Merz 'deeply shocked' after major AfD win in Saxony-Anhalt

Speaking in Berlin on Monday, the German chancellor said he saw a society "longing for disruption" and "fundamental change."

Euronews · Sep 7

Germany's Far-Right AfD Notches Clear Win In Regional Election While Party In Power Slumps

The party got almost 44% of the vote, more than 25 percentage points above the incumbent Christian Democratic Union Party, which leads the national coalition under Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

International Business Times · Sep 7

Germany: why the AfD won in Saxony-Anhalt – and what happens next

The results of Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt state election on September 6 were far worse than feared for the country’s mainstream political parties. The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) came close to winning a majority of votes, with 43.8%. This was about 4% higher than polls had suggested.

The Conversation · Sep 7

Could an AfD victory put Germany’s economic recovery at risk?

AfD’s historic Saxony-Anhalt victory adds a potential new political risk to Germany’s fragile recovery, raising fears that fragmentation in Berlin could delay reforms needed to sustain growth.

Euronews · Sep 7

Far-right AfD scores historic win in Saxony-Anhalt, rattling Berlin and Paris

The AfD’s record result in Saxony-Anhalt has sent shock waves through Germany and beyond, piling pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz and raising fresh concerns across Europe over the far-right’s advance.

Radio France Internationale · Sep 7

Even if it doesn’t form government, the far-right AfD has shaken Germany’s political establishment to the core

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has sent shock waves across Germany – and the world – by trouncing the opposition in a state election over the weekend. But will the party actually be able to govern?

The Conversation · Sep 7

Germany's Merz vows to stick with reforms despite election drubbing by far right

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday vowed to press ahead with his reform agenda despite a blistering election defeat for his centre-right CDU in Saxony-Anhalt, where the far-right AfD won almost 44 percent of the vote. Merz called the result his party’s worst defeat in decades.

France 24 · Sep 7

Ulrich Siegmund: From CDU member to AfD lead candidate

Ulrich Siegmund is the AfD's leading figure in Saxony-Anhalt: 35, media-savvy and aiming to be minister-president. At the next state election he wants to lead his party into government.

Euronews · Sep 7