The German far-right party AfD (Alternative for Germany) achieved a historic victory in the September 6 elections, becoming the largest party in Saxony-Anhalt with 43.8% of the votes, almost double the value obtained in the previous elections. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, obtained only 17.2%. Despite the victory, the party did not achieve an absolute majority, falling three seats short.
The victory sparked divided reactions across Europe. Several leaders expressed alarm, including the French Finance Minister, Roland Lescure, who warned of "a major challenge facing a populist wave spreading across the world." The French Minister for European Affairs, Benjamin Haddad, considered that seeing the far-right prevail marks "a very serious moment for Europe." Poland's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who said that "only idiots or traitors can rejoice" at the result, shared the same concern. Italy's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, described the result as "terrible news."
In the opposite direction, several right-wing leaders congratulated the party. Italy's Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, hailed the result as representing "change, security and employment." Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called it "a great night for Germany and Europe" and stated that "this is just the beginning." The leader of Spain's Vox party, Santiago Abascal, sent congratulations to the party, calling the result "a great hope for Germany and for Europe." In Portugal, the leader of Chega, André Ventura, wrote on social media platform X that "the Germans are opening their eyes against illegal and uncontrolled immigration, corruption and the capture of our freedom and identity."
The victory also received support from millionaires, including Elon Musk, owner of social media platform X, who called the result "good work" by the party.
