Europe’s centre fears nationalist wave after AfD victory but only has itself to blame
This story was selected and curated by our editorial team in the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) category. Published on September 7, 2026 • Originally reported by Jon Henley Europe correspondent. OMEGAZEPRIME provides independent news coverage and analysis for our readers. Stay informed with the latest developments.
Saxony-Anhalt win part of wider trend driven by mainstream policy failures and gradual normalisation of far right ideas
The numbers speak for themselves: Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), a party that dabbles in Nazi imagery, distinguishes between “biological” and “passport” Germans, and is too extreme even for France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen, nearly doubled its score in Sunday’s state election in Saxony-Anhalt to 43.8% of the vote.
Meanwhile, the centre-right CDU of the chancellor, Friedrich Merz, collapsed to 17.2%, less than half its total in the same race five years ago, and the centre-left SPD – Germany’s other main party of government for the past 60-odd years – scraped 9.3%. The least that can be said is that the centre did not hold.
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