Political Earthquake

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The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party scored big in two closely watched German state elections Sunday, winning in one poll and coming second in the other, an outcome that underscored widespread voter discontent with the country’s mainstream political parties and Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government, the Financial Times reported.

The AfD won in the central state of Thuringia with more than 33 percent of the vote, the first time a far-right party has emerged victorious in a state poll since World War II.

In the eastern state of Saxony, the anti-immigrant party also came in a close second with 31.3 percent of the vote, just behind the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which received 31.9 percent.

The results were considered disastrous for Scholz’s three-party coalition – comprising of the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens, and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) – all of which saw their support plummet to single digits in both states.

Meanwhile, the new far-left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) also gained significant support, with 11.6 percent of the vote in Saxony and 14.7 percent in Thuringia.

The results highlighted widespread voter frustration with the current government, which is associated with high inflation, economic stagnation, rising energy costs, and internal conflicts.

The BSW’s success has also been attributed to this disillusionment, as the party shared the AfD’s skepticism towards the war in Ukraine and advocated for diplomatic solutions over military involvement.

Observers noted that the outcome hinted that voters are increasingly abandoning the political center and favoring populist parties, instead. This trend also mirrors wider European concerns about the resilience of liberal democracies in the face of rising nationalist movements.

Originally founded by economists opposing Eurozone bailouts, the AfD has evolved into a hardline nationalist group known for its anti-immigration stance and historical revisionism. The party’s local branches in Saxony and Thuringia are classified as “right-wing extremist” by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency.

The election campaign was also overshadowed by a stabbing terror attack in the western German city of Solingen that flared up anti-immigrant sentiment and concerns about public safety in Germany, the Associated Press wrote. The suspect, a Syrian national with alleged ties to the Islamic State terror group, is accused of killing three people and injuring eight others.

The incident prompted the government to announce new restrictions on knives and new measures to ease deportations.

Analysts cautioned that the AfD’s victory could influence the political discourse in Germany as parties gear up for next year’s parliament elections. It also raises questions about the stability of Scholz’s coalition government, though early elections remain unlikely given the poor polling numbers of the coalition parties, Politico noted.

Still, it’s unclear whether the AfD will be able to govern in any of the states because all other parties have refused to form a coalition with the anti-immigrant group. This leaves the political landscape fragmented and complicates coalition-building, particularly in Thuringia, where forming a viable government without the AfD will be challenging.