Far-right AfD closes in on state election win to leave Germany on brink of huge political shake-up
- Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is on course to secure a historic victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, polling at 40 per cent of the vote, which is double the support it received five years ago.
- A victory for the AfD, which has been designated as an ‘extremist right-wing’ party by German intelligence, would mark the first time the far-right has seized power in Germany since the Second World War.
- Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) face a major political crisis, with the AfD holding a 10 to 15-point lead over the CDU while mainstream parties struggle to form a viable governing coalition.
- Under its ‘Vision 2026’ manifesto, an AfD-led state government would institute sweeping hardline reforms, including creating a dedicated deportation task force, segregating refugee and disabled children in schools, and restricting Islamic expression.
- The party also intends to enforce a patriotic cultural policy in education by mandating daily flag-raising and national anthem singing, dismantling the public broadcasting system, and removing war refugee status for Ukrainians.
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