The leader of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), Alice Weidel, demanded on Sunday, September 6th, that the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, immediately call early legislative elections to be replaced "before Christmas." This demand came following the historic victory of her party in the regional elections in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, in eastern Germany, where the AfD achieved almost 44% of the votes, far ahead of Merz's CDU, which obtained only 17.5%.
Weidel considered this result a "clear mandate to govern" and stated that her party also intends to govern at the federal level, expecting to reach 40% support nationwide. The AfD leader pointed fingers at the German political class, arguing that "people are tired of politics being made against Germany's interests," and listed measures from her program, including border control and the deportation of foreigners and criminals. Weidel blamed former Chancellor Angela Merkel and the current federal government leader for the country's situation, predicting that support for the CDU will soon drop below 20%.
The AfD co-leader, Tino Chrupalla, stated that "2029 will be a decisive electoral year" and that it will be "the second turning point" for the country, noting that Merz was the best asset of his party's electoral campaign. In Saxony-Anhalt, the far-right won 39 seats in the regional parliament, three short of an absolute majority, now needing to negotiate with other parties, such as the CDU or the pro-Russia left-wing movement BSW, which obtained four seats and is open to negotiating. No German region has been governed by the far-right since 1945.
On foreign policy, Weidel defended a diplomatic approach, stating that Germany should have played a mediating role on the Ukraine issue, maintaining an open channel with Russia to achieve a peaceful solution. The AfD leader also declared that Germany needs "good relations not only with Russia, but above all with the United States," criticizing what she classified as the "rhetorical warmongers" position the country currently holds.
