
Friedrich Merz wanted to halve the AfD. Now the AfD has halved the CDU in Saxony-Anhalt. A historic breakthrough for the AfD and a crisis for the CDU leader.
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Friedrich Merz wanted to halve the AfD, while the party is now celebrating electoral success in Saxony-Anhalt and weakening the CDU.
Friedrich Merz wanted to halve the AfD. Now the AfD has halved the CDU in Saxony-Anhalt. Ulrich Siegmund's party wins clearly, the Christian Democrats fall. It is a historic breakthrough for the AfD. For Friedrich Merz it is a devastating defeat.
The CDU leader's authority was already damaged before the election. Now the pressure seems to be increasing further: can the Chancellor still hold his own?
In a special episode of the political podcast "MAD KINGS: Test of Strength for Germany", long-time foreign correspondent Britta Sandberg, with AfD expert Ann-Katrin Müller and together with Christoph Hickmann, political director at SPIEGEL, deciphers how dangerous the AfD's success will be for Friedrich Merz - and what threatens Germany with a weak conservative party.
Similar developments can be seen in France and Great Britain - with devastating results. There, the conservative parties are losing their own identity and ultimately their political significance due to the rise of right-wing and right-wing populist forces.

After a significant increase in votes for the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt, candidate Ulrich Siegmund is faced with the challenge of forming a government. Political divisions, economic problems and tight budget resources make it difficult to implement his election promises.
The podcast 'The So-called Present' analyzes postliberalism, a political philosophy that seeks to replace liberalism with values such as virtue, family and religion. Its influence in the USA and authoritarian tendencies are discussed.

After significant losses in the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, CDU top politicians are ruling out a personnel debate about party leader Friedrich Merz. Instead, an accelerated course of reform is called for, while the SPD and the Greens criticize the current line.
The controversial funeral ceremonies for the late war criminal Ratko Mladić have begun in Belgrade. The honors met with sharp international criticism, including EU Commissioner Marta Kos canceling her visit to Serbia in protest.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton was attacked by a gunman at a festival in Canfield, Ohio. Acton was uninjured and administered first aid to injured people. The attacker was overpowered.
The Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation calls for legal guarantees for the independence of historical educational institutions. The background is concerns about political influence by the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt.