By Noah Gloege
Media Editor

Germany’s recent election has demonstrated a dramatic change in the country’s political landscape. In the decades following World War II, moderate parties dominated Germany’s political system. Most notably, the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) have maintained power. However, the rise of the Alternative for Germany party(AfD), challenged this idea, prompting debate about their popularity. This year, on Sept. 6, the AfD achieved a historic victory in the Eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, where it received 43.8% of the vote — more than twice the number from the state’s previous elections. Although the AfD won the largest share of the electorate, it did not win an outright majority. It received only 39 of the 83 seats in the state parliament, meaning it was three seats short of the 42 needed for a majority. The CDU, the party of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, finished second with just 17.2% of the vote. The SPD, on the other hand, despite losing their top seat in Parliament, staged a late-campaign comeback under Minister-President Manuela Schwesig with around 37.5% of the vote.  Due to their strong second-place finish, the SPD is positioned to block the AfD from power by forming a democratic coalition.

The recent election has consequences for more than just Saxony-Anhalt. The AfD has been very successful in eastern Germany, where economic dissatisfaction and distrust toward the current parties are integral to the party’s popularity. AfD supporters often point to immigration, crime, the cost of living, energy prices, and Germany’s struggling economy as reasons to support them. Moreover, their policies include much stricter immigration controls and the concept of “reimigration”, which includes the forced removal of immigrants and even people with immigrant backgrounds.  For years, mainstream political parties have refused to cooperate with the AfD. This political barrier, known as the “Brandmauer,” loosely translates to firewall. This election result marks the strongest electoral performance in AfD history and has therefore put immense pressure on the “Brandmauer” Chancellor Merz has refused cooperation with the AFD and has compared their “reimigration” policies to ethnic cleansing by expressed, “If what is being advocated here, namely ‘remigration’, were to become reality, it would be nothing other than a synonym for ethnic cleansing based on origin and skin colour.” Meanwhile, the AfD argues that its policies are a necessity for German security and national identity.  

The AfD’s rise also draws attention due to its connection to German Neo-Nazi groups. One of the most significant examples involves a leading figure in the AfD, Björn Höcke, who was convicted by Germany’s Federal Court of Justice in 2024 for deliberately saying “Alles für Deutschland.” This slogan is associated with the “Sturmabteilung,” or SA, which is a prominent the Nazi paramilitary organization. The SA are also known for helping Adolf Hitler rise to power after he created them in 1921. German domestic intelligence authorities also classified his political party, Der Flügel, as a right-wing extremist organization. The concern comes from the party’s known relationships and its growing influence on the AfD’s most radical elements.  The September election proves more than just a victory in an eastern German state; they are definitive proof that the AfD has broken through the traditional political architecture and is now a threat to Germany’s establishment parties.

Sources: (BBC, DW, Reuters, The Guardian)