AfD election victory in Saxony-Anhalt triggers reactions in Hesse

After the AfD election victory in Saxony-Anhalt, Hesse's CDU head of government Boris Rhein thanked his local official and party colleague Sven Schulze for an "incredibly tough election campaign". Rhein was referring to Schulze's “strong commitment to Saxony-Anhalt and the CDU,” as the Hesse Prime Minister wrote on X. “Now it’s about dealing responsibly with the voters’ vote,” added Rhein, who is also the Hessian CDU state leader.

How does the Hessian AfD react?

The AfD Hesse viewed the election victory of its party colleagues in the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt as a “tremendous success” and “a great leap of faith on the part of the citizens”. This was announced by the Hessian AfD state spokespersons Robert Lambrou and Andreas Lichert.

“AfD votes are no longer protest votes, but rather demands for concrete policy changes,” they added. According to Lambrou and Lichert, East Germany forms “the political avant-garde and the West will follow.”

Hesse's SPD state leader speaks of a turning point

Hesse's SPD leader Sören Bartol said: "With the AfD, a right-wing extremist party has almost achieved an absolute majority for the first time in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. This is a turning point that goes beyond a national political event.”

According to Bartol, the voters in Saxony-Anhalt have democratically brought about a result that is a stress test for democracy. It must be recognized. “But we will not accept for a moment that right-wing extremism determines the fate of our country,” he added.