AfD triumphs. "Another Europe is possible"
In Sunday's elections to the regional parliament of Saxony-Anhalt, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) won approximately 44 percent. votes - according to exit polls. It is not yet clear whether the party will be able to form an independent government. We should know the final election result on Monday morning.
"Congratulations to my friend Alice Weidel and the entire AfD on the triumph in Saxony-Anhalt! It is a spectacular success that proves a strong desire for change, security and work; despite those on the left who fanned fear and catastrophic scenarios," wrote the Italian Deputy Prime Minister, leader of the right-wing League, Matteo Salvini, on the X website.
"Fear? Terror? Danger. No, it's called Democracy. Another Europe is possible," he added.
After the AfD's electoral triumph, former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban also spoke. He said it was a great night not only for Germany, but also for the whole of Europe.
"Fasten your seat belts. This is just the beginning," Orban said enthusiastically.
The election result is not yet certain, but one thing is already certain: a party classified as right-wing extremist was one step away from ruling itself in one of the German states, Josef Schuster, chairman of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, told the Welt daily. He added that he was "personally horrified by the election results."
Tusk writes about idiots and traitors
Donald Tusk, the Polish Prime Minister and leader of the Civic Coalition, assessed the election results abroad in a completely different way.
In Poland, only idiots or traitors can rejoice at the AfD's triumph in Germany. There are some of them in the Confederations and PiS, noted the head of government.
"I understand this frustration. The specter of turning off the tap with cash from Germany, which supports your environment, propaganda and festivals, would also worry me if I were you. You have a reason to be afraid," replied one of the MPs of the mentioned Confederation, Konrad Berkowicz, to Tusk's entry.
The commentary on the historical success of the AfD by the leader of Poland 2050 - Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz - is also in a very harsh tone.
Neofascists aligned with Russia - won the elections in Saxony. For Polish patriots - a failure of the values of our world. For Mentzen and half of the Confederation - an ally's victory - wrote the Minister of Funds and Regional Policy on the X website.
"The modern Targowica are those who cannot hide their joy at the AfD victory," wrote another member of the Polish government - Minister of Internal Affairs Marcin Kierwiński - on the X website.
"AfD will not pay reparations"
"I do not support anyone in German politics. Until they pay reparations for crimes, they are a country without honor. And AfD not only will not pay reparations, but hates Poland more than the old formations," said Law and Justice MP Dariusz Matecki on the X website.
Łukasz Schreiber - until recently Matecki's party colleague and now an MP for Rozwoju Plus, called the poll results of the German elections terrifying.
"I don't understand how a Pole and a patriot can be happy about their successes. Their distance from Brussels doesn't change anything," Schreiber said.
"Poland cannot have any illusions"
Former Polish ambassador to Germany, Janusz Reiter, in an interview with PAP, assessed that the AfD's success in the elections in Saxony-Anhalt was primarily due to the weakness of the German parties of the democratic center. As he noted, the key question is: "will mainstream groups manage to regain the political initiative?"
Poland cannot have any illusions about the AfD. This is a party that draws on the tradition of German nationalism. German nationalism has always been hostile to Poland and pro-Russian, Reiter noted.
What is the AfD's agenda?
AfD is described as a right-wing, nationalist, populist and anti-establishment party. Its program includes, among others: a significant reduction in immigration to Germany, a reduction in the competences of EU institutions and their transfer to nation states, as well as the "normalization" of relations with Russia, including the lifting of sanctions and the reconstruction and launch of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.
