The recent election results in Germany have caused significant concern in Brussels, particularly due to the successes of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the hard-left BSW parties. Both parties have expressed strong anti-EU, anti-immigration, and anti-Ukraine stances, raising fears about their potential influence on German politics and broader European policies. In response, political rivals have vowed to take measures to prevent the AfD from assuming power.
Parties from both ends of Germany’s political spectrum achieved significant victories in recent regional elections, reflecting growing voter dissatisfaction with the government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In Thuringia, a former East German state, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) secured a decisive win with 32.8% of the vote, according to data from the state election commissioner. The conservative CDU followed in second place with 23.6%. This outcome is historically significant, marking the first instance since World War II that a party considered far-right has won a regional election in Germany.
Meanwhile, the newly formed far-left BSW party, led by its founder Sahra Wagenknecht, who launched the party earlier this year, achieved remarkable gains, securing 15.8% of the vote. In the neighboring state of Saxony, the AfD garnered just over 30% of the vote, narrowly trailing the CDU, which won 31.9%, while the BSW captured 11.8%.
In stark contrast, Chancellor Scholz’s struggling SPD party received only 6.1% of the vote in Thuringia and 7.3% in Saxony, barely surpassing the 5% threshold required to secure representation in the regional parliaments.
Despite their divergent views on social and economic policies, the AfD and BSW share common positions on several critical issues, causing concern for pro-EU Chancellor Scholz and Brussels. Both parties strongly oppose Germany’s ongoing support for uncontrolled immigration and are committed to reducing or ending economic and military aid to Ukraine while seeking to strengthen ties with Vladimir Putin. Additionally, both parties are highly critical of the European Union, with the AfD even advocating for Germany’s withdrawal from the bloc, which it has labeled a “failed project.”
