In Thuringia, the nationalist AfD won almost a third of the vote, becoming by far the largest party. In the neighboring state of Saxony, it won just over 30 percent – just behind the Christian Democratic CDU.
The results are being called “historic” and there are now high hopes for even greater success in the federal elections next year.
The party has been systematically opposed, demonized and smeared by German authorities, and its most vocal opponents have even talked about banning the AfD – claiming it is “right-wing extremist”, “anti-constitutional” and “racist”, among other things.
However, support among the German people is higher than ever, and in Thuringia, the AfD (32.8%) won more votes than any other party – and significantly more than the three governing parties (S, FDP, Greens) combined.
It also did very well in Saxony, winning about 30.6% of the vote – but was still defeated by the CDU, which won 31.9%.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (S) lamented the result as “bitter” and called on the other parties to join forces across the bloc to keep the AfD out of power.
– The AfD is damaging Germany. It is weakening the economy, dividing society and ruining our country’s reputation, he argued.
Wants to govern
AfD candidate Björn Höcke, who has been subjected to smear campaigns and character assassination attempts by the establishment media and political opponents, instead called the result a “historic success” and stressed how proud he was of what the party had achieved.
With federal elections just a year away, AfD leader Alice Weidel said it was clear that voters in the two eastern states wanted to see the nationalist party in a future government, possibly together with the CDU.
– Without us a stable government is no longer possible at all.
So far, however, the CDU has rejected any suggestion of a coalition with the AfD, claiming that this is out of the question, precisely because of the AfD’s ideology.
Stopped arms deliveries to Ukraine
It is also worth noting that Alternative for Germany is also very popular among young Germans – in Thuringia, 36% of voters under 30 voted for the nationalists, far more than for any other party. The main issues also seem to be mass immigration and asylum, issues that have been brought to the fore, not least by the recent murder of three people at a ‘diversity festival’ by a Syrian man who was due to be deported.
– Politicians have promised a lot, particularly concerning migration and foreigners. But nothing happened. Nothing. Just promises came from these parties. Now I have my party. And I stand with my decision, voter Michael tells the BBC.
The AfD not only wants to tighten up Germany’s borderless mass immigration policy, but also to stop arms supplies to Ukraine – another popular position among many voters, but one that has led to the party being suspected and vilified in the country’s media.
