Germany’s right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party scored a historic victory in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, capturing 43.8% of the vote and more than doubling its previous strength, as Jewish leaders warned of potentially serious consequences for the country’s Jewish community.
The result gives the AfD 39 of the state parliament’s 83 seats, leaving it just three seats short of the 42 needed for an outright majority. Despite its commanding finish, the party could struggle to form a government because Germany’s other major parties have maintained a “firewall” against cooperating with the AfD.
AfD state leader Ulrich Siegmund indicated that he would rather head to another election than accept a government that does not reflect his party’s priorities, predicting that another vote could see the AfD climb to 50% or even 55%.
The election delivered a crushing setback to Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his conservative CDU, which had governed Saxony-Anhalt for 24 years. The CDU fell to just 17.2% and secured 15 seats, raising fresh political questions for Merz following the AfD’s dramatic gains.
The pro-Russian BSW won five seats and could potentially emerge as a key player in coalition negotiations. The Social Democrats received 9.3% of the vote, the Greens 8.9%, and the Left Party 8.6%.
The results triggered sharply different reactions across Europe. Right-wing leaders including Italy’s Matteo Salvini and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán welcomed the outcome, while the Kremlin described it as a humiliation for Germany’s governing coalition. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was among European leaders expressing concern over the growing populist wave.
Jewish leaders sounded an especially stark warning. Charlotte Knobloch, a Holocaust survivor and leader of Munich’s Jewish community, expressed concern over the results, while Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said he was personally “shocked” by the outcome.
Schuster warned that the damage could be enormous if the AfD reaches power, expressing particular concern about the party’s potential influence over education and young people. He stressed that education remains one of the most important foundations for preserving an open society and combating antisemitism.
Schuster also placed responsibility on those who backed the party, saying voters were well aware of the AfD’s goals before casting their ballots.
The stunning result leaves Germany facing a major political test: whether rival parties can keep the AfD out of power despite its overwhelming first-place finish, and what the party’s continued rise could mean for Germany’s Jewish community.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
