Germany's right-wing populist party celebrated “historic victories” in two state elections on Sunday.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won about a third of the vote in the eastern state of Thuringia, beating Germany's three governing parties and the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) by a wide margin, according to the BBC. The AfD came in second in Saxony, about one point behind the CDU, but was about 20 points ahead of third-placed left-wing populist BSW, led by Sahra Wagenknecht.
“Without us a stable government would simply not be possible,” AfD co-leader Alice Weidel told the BBC, adding that the victory was a “requiem” for Germany's ruling party because voters wanted the AfD to govern.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Germany's migrant crisis was at the heart of the AfD and BSW's messaging.
Both parties performed well in the polls, with the AfD winning 30.6% of the vote and the BSW winning 11.8% of the vote in Saxony, according to the BBC.
A knife attack by a Syrian asylum seeker in late August left three people dead and eight injured, The Wall Street JournalIt was one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Germany in recent times. (Related article: Luke: Wondering why Europe is becoming more right-wing? Listen to this girl's plea for help)
German far-right celebrates 'historic' victory in eastern elections https://t.co/mS2vyE8dLS
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) September 2, 2024
According to the BBC, a survey by German broadcaster ZDF found that of the five million Germans who voted in the east on Sunday, 36 percent of people under 30 in the state of Thuringia voted for the AfD, by far the highest proportion of any other party.
Right-wing and populist parties have performed well across Europe in recent years, dominating in Italy and Slovakia but also forming part of governing coalitions in Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands. Associated Press (Associated Press).
According to the BBC, Thuringia state Premier Bodo Ramelow of the Left Party said the election had been marred by fear and that he was “fighting against the normalisation of fascism”.
