Germany’s Merz 'deeply shocked' by far-right AfD's historic electoral victory
· France 2408/09/2026 - 03:50
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07/09/2026 - 18:32
Is Germany's 'firewall' consensus to keep the far right from power over?
The AfD's lead candidate in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Ulrich Siegmund, said Monday that talks were already under way to win over MPs from other parties to help build a governing majority.
The party's win strains Germany's "firewall" political consensus against working with the far right and much depends now on the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), a populist left-leaning but immigration-sceptic and pro-Russia party who the AfD could potentially rely on to form a working coaltion.
FRANCE 24's Simon Feisthauer Fournet has more.
07/09/2026 - 17:37
European leaders sound alarm after politically seismic AfD victory
European leaders were quick to react to the upsurge in support for Germany's far-right AfD party in the Saxony-Anhalt state election on Sunday. It's the first time since World War II that a far-right party in the country has come within reach of power.
FRANCE 24 has this report.
07/09/2026 - 17:24
'Only idiots or traitors', says Polish PM Tusk, can celebrate AfD victory
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk posted on X: "In Poland, only idiots or traitors can rejoice at the triumph of the AfD in Germany."
07/09/2026 - 16:55
German far-right victory shows 'we're all in crisis', analyst tells FRANCE 24
The AfD’s breakthrough in Saxony-Anhalt should be understood, according to Sylvie Bermann, as part of a wider transformation of European politics rather than as an isolated German electoral shock.
Brexit and Donald Trump’s victories helped normalise political positions previously regarded as outside the governing mainstream, while successive economic and geopolitical crises have weakened confidence in established parties.
FRANCE 24's international affairs editor Philip Turle joins Sylvie Bermann to discuss to implications for Germany's dramatic shift towards the far right.
07/09/2026 - 16:40
French FM Barrot urges Europe to 'resist normalisation of far-right ideas'
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, whose country faces a presidential election next year in which the far right is a leading contender, said that “AfD’s platform is a betrayal of the European spirit” and that “our first responsibility is to resist the normalisation of far-right ideas.”
07/09/2026 - 15:36
'Coalition needs to work better but stick to its goals', Merz says
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday stuck by his reform decisions made last year despite a smarting election defeat by the far-right AfD in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.
"That is what we need to deliver on now; it is what I want to deliver on, and that is the stance I am taking into talks with our coalition partner," said Merz.
07/09/2026 - 15:31
Merz vows to maintain support for Ukraine amid AfD's win
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that the state election victory by the pro-Russia AfD would not change the federal government's support for Ukraine and warned that there is a very concrete threat facing Germany's internal security.
"And I want to make this very clear: 2,500 kilometres east of here, people are especially delighted with this election result" in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt, said Merz, in reference to Russia.
07/09/2026 - 14:01
Germany's CDU loses mandate to govern Saxony-Anhalt, state premier says
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats no longer have a mandate to govern in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, said incumbent CDU state premier Sven Schulze on Monday.
"We, the CDU, no longer hold a mandate to govern. We are in opposition. The mandate to govern now lies with the AfD, and I will be taking this result to the party board this evening," said Schulze, who had run against the AfD's Ulrich Siegmund.
07/09/2026 - 13:38
Germany’s Merz ‘deeply shocked’ by AfD’s landslide electoral victory
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday he was "deeply shocked" by AfD’s landslide state election victory.
Merz said the vote showed that deep reforms are needed but he underscored that basic democratic values were still valid.
"I want to assure everyone in our country of this: Our institutions are resilient and stable. Our Basic Law protects and guarantees this order," Merz said after what he described as the worst defeat for his party, the CDU, in decades in the election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.
"This message is also directed at our friends in Europe and across the globe," he added.
07/09/2026 - 13:28
Trump supporters celebrate far-right victory in German state vote
Supporters of US President Donald Trump cheered on Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) after the party won a landslide victory in a key regional election on Sunday.
Trump has not explicitly responded but posted an infographic of the results on his Truth Social platform on Sunday evening, indicating his interest.
Former US ambassador to Germany during Trump's first term, Richard Grenell, celebrated the results as "a huge win and a new day in Germany".
"The people are ready for change no matter what names you call them," he said on X.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk was among the first to celebrate AfD's victory with a resounding "Well done!" in response to a post from AfD's co-leader Alice Weidel.
Ulrich Siegmund, the 35-year-old lead candidate for AfD in Saxony-Anhalt state, thanked Musk for his support and said he would "welcome the opportunity for strong and constructive cooperation."
"Germany would once again be a place worth investing in," he said on X.
Musk has been a longtime supporter of the AfD, having previously described it as "the best hope for the future of Germany" before the federal elections in February 2025.
07/09/2026 - 12:47
Germany's Merz says AfD win has shaken party to its core, Bild reports
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the far-right AfD's election victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt had shaken his CDU party to its core and signalled that a major reckoning was needed, the Bild newspaper reported on Monday.
"This shakes our party to its very foundations. We cannot simply carry on as before, nor can I, nor can the federal government," Merz said, according to the newspaper.
07/09/2026 - 12:31
Spanish PM warns 'extremist threat' is advancing, after German state poll
Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday warned an "extremist threat" was advancing throughout the world after Germany's far-right AfD secured a landmark landslide success in a state election.
Sunday's vote was a "warning that the extremist threat, largely thanks to the surrender of the traditional right, is gaining ground in Europe and in the world", Sanchez, one of Europe's few leftist leaders, told a Socialist party gathering in Madrid.
07/09/2026 - 11:22
- AfD's Weidel targets 40% in next German federal election after state victory
- Victory of far-right AfD in German state election is very worrying, says Polish foreign minister
- AfD to sound out lawmakers on backing government in Saxony-Anhalt, Siegmund says
- Germany’s Merz is ‘deeply shocked’ by AfD’s landslide electoral victory
07/09/2026 - 11:21
🎥Germany: 'Hard to say' if AfD win the result of protest vote
The AfD surged into first place in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, exit polls showed, putting a far-right party within reach of governing at the state level for the first time since World War II.
However, FRANCE 24’s correspondent in Berlin, Nick Holdsworth, says it is “hard to say” if the victory is more the result of dissatisfaction with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s governing conservatives, or an explicit endorsement of the AfD.
07/09/2026 - 10:48
AfD to sound out lawmakers on backing government in Saxony-Anhalt, Siegmund says
The far-right Alternative for Germany will talk to individual parliamentary groups and lawmakers to see if they would support the party in governing the parliament in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, said AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund.
"We will, of course, hold discussions to see whether there are - and this is a crucial message today - individual parliamentary groups or individual MPs willing to join us in tackling this historic task," said Siegmund after the AfD notched a historic win in the state but fell short of an absolute majority.
07/09/2026 - 10:40
AfD's Weidel targets 40% in next German federal election after state victory
The far-right Alternative for Germany is aiming to win at least 40 percent in the next federal election after a historic win in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, said national co-leader Alice Weidel on Monday.
"My stated goal is to significantly widen the gap in a very short time and grow to at least 40% for the next federal election," said Weidel.
07/09/2026 - 10:35
Merz a 'major burden' for Germany, says far-right AfD after vote win
Germany's far-right AfD charged Monday that its state election triumph the previous day showed that Chancellor Friedrich Merz had become "a major burden" for the country.
"No chancellor before has been as unpopular as Friedrich Merz, who has become a major burden on Germany's prosperous development," said party co-leader Alice Weidel, after her party won Saxony-Anhalt state elections in a landslide. "The election in Saxony-Anhalt has shown that people expect a change in politics."
07/09/2026 - 10:20
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to speak at 13:30 Paris time
07/09/2026 - 09:59
🎥 'Jubilation and Pain': The German far-right marches to victory in key state election
The far right marches to victory in a German state election. What does this mean for the future of Germany and Europe at large?
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(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)