Lifelong Democrat warns of ‘extremely dangerous’ development within party
A string of far-left primary wins is fueling debate inside the Democratic Party, with longtime Democrat Jamie Metzl calling on party leaders to draw a firm line against candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America. Metzl pointed to Angie Nixon’s upset victory in a Florida primary, where she prevailed despite being outspent, as a sign of a deeper political shift. He said Democrats must preserve a moderate, patriotic two-party system to help safeguard American democracy.
In Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany, known as AfD, was projected Sunday to secure a major regional election victory, dealing a serious setback to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union.
Early projections indicated that Merz’s party was headed for a damaging performance in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.
AfD had entered the race hoping to establish Germany’s first far-right state government since the end of World War II in 1945, though it was not immediately clear whether the party would be able to turn its gains into power.
Ulrich Siegmund, AfD’s anti-migration candidate for governor, declared that “we have written history.”
Top candidate Ulrich Siegmund gives a thumbs-up alongside party leaders Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel, from left, at an AfD election party following the Saxony-Anhalt state elections. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Siegmund, 35, told public broadcaster ARD that voters had delivered a clear message that “things cannot carry on like this,” describing the result as “also a signal toward Berlin.”
He also took aim at Germany’s unpopular chancellor, saying, “A very good campaigner for us in this election campaign was Friedrich Merz. Every day this man is in the chancellery is one too many.”
The election comes amid widespread public discontent with the national government, which has yet to convince many voters it can get the country’s sluggish economy back on track.
AfD aimed for an absolute majority in the state legislature to govern on its own and overcome the so-called firewall of mainstream parties’ refusal to work with it. But it was unclear long after polls closed whether that goal would become reality.
“AfD is a right-wing extremist party. It wants to leave the euro; that would be economic downfall … it works closely together with Russia, it wants a completely different social model,” said Franziska Hoppermann, the national general-secretary of Merz’s party. “We will not work with them.”
Achieving its first state government would be the biggest victory in the anti-migration party’s 13-year history.
Regardless of whether AfD forms its own government, the projected result is still a blow to Merz, whose center-right party has led Saxony-Anhalt for 24 years. Unlike several other European countries, modern Germany has not had a far-right or right-wing populist party leading a national, state or major-city government.
After the projections for the state election in Saxony-Anhalt were released, members of various coalitions protested against the AfD on the Römer, holding a sign that read “Anti-social, fascist, stupid!!!” (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)
AfD is the largest opposition party in Germany’s national parliament and is strongest in the formerly communist and less prosperous east, where Saxony-Anhalt sits.
Its regional branch in Saxony-Anhalt is one of several classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist group by the domestic intelligence agency, which cites members’ disparagement of migrants from Muslim countries among other things.
The party promotes “remigration,” which pushes for the deportation of immigrants.
Siegmund has said his top priorities include “a deportation offensive” and ending incentives for people to come to Germany and “exploit our social system.” He also wants to initiate a process to pull Saxony-Anhalt from the regional public broadcaster over allegations of “disinformation.”
Germany’s 16 states have extensive powers, including overseeing security matters and running the education system.
An AfD leader in a neighboring state appealed two convictions for knowingly using a Nazi slogan.
The party has pushed back on accusations of extremism as politically motivated.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Saxony-Anhalt State Governor and top candidate Sven Schulze give a press statement after visiting UPM Biochemicals in Leuna, Germany. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Projections for ARD and ZDF public television, based on exit polls and partial counting, have AfD at just over 44% of the vote, more than double its showing five years ago in the region of 2.1 million people west of Berlin.
Merz’s Christian Democratic Union was significantly behind, polling 18% and losing about half its support. The Left Party, the center-left Social Democrats and Greens were seen polling around 9% each.
It was unclear whether the BSW party would reach the 5% of the vote needed to win seats. The projections put AfD at least marginally short of an absolute majority for now, but that could change.
