The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party came out first in local elections held in the state of Thuringia and a close second in Saxony, according to numbers released on Sept. 2 (Monday), marking a milestone for the German right wing over older, more established parties. The elections were held on Sunday, Sept. 1.
Observers say increasing dissatisfaction among Germans with immigration, foreign policy, and the economy are helping propel the AfD’s popularity.
Both states are located in eastern Germany, where AfD campaigners used the slogan “im Osten geht die Sonne auf” (the sun rises in the east). The party gained around a third of the vote in both states.
However, the AfD faces trouble forming a government in either state, given that other major parties have vowed not to cooperate with it on account of its “extreme right” ideology.
Coming in third place in Thuringia and Saxony was the up-and-coming party of leftist politician Sarah Wagenknecht, who advocates less aid for Ukraine and closer ties with Russia and China — something making her a third rail in establishment German politics as well.
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She, however, has also ruled out a coalition with the AfD, as reported by German state-funded media Deutsche Welle.
“The stronger they get, the more the mainstream parties will struggle to form coherent governing majorities, Andre Brodocz, political scientist at Erfurt University, said of the AfD and Wagenknecht’s party in comments made to Reuters.
