A political earthquake was caused by the results of the Saxony-Anhalt state elections, which gave a huge victory to the Alternative for Germany party, with about 43 percent, and a particularly striking decline for the party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, which collapsed compared to the results obtained in the previous state elections, with a rate of only slightly less than 20 percent, obtaining a total of only 17.7 percent.
Although the victory of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was expected, what was terrifying to its opponents was the percentage it obtained, which almost gave it an absolute majority, which heralds a stormy phase until the state government is formed within 30 days (the legal deadline for forming the government).
Betrayal of the covenant?
Such an event in the heart of Europe and the locomotive of its economy shook the pens of European journalists, some of whom did not hide that what was happening on the Old Continent brought to mind terrible events of the past, the results of which were the pledge that “what happened will never be repeated” (which is a collective German pledge not to repeat the experience of World War II). However, the Italian newspaper La Repubblica concluded that what happened was exactly the opposite, and wrote:
“...In a small state: Saxony-Anhalt - which is inhabited by three percent of Germany’s population - an overwhelming majority of voters betrayed the era of ‘never again’. For the first time since the fall of Nazism, an extreme right-wing party - using the slogans of that era and relying on its inhuman ideas - emerged, namely the ‘Alternative for Germany’ (AfD) party, to present itself as a candidate to govern the state.”
Likewise, the Spanish newspaper ABC, searching for the reasons it identified in the accumulated errors committed by the state, most notably the abandonment of mechanisms for preserving the democratic system after indicators called for necessary strictness, wrote:
“The Alternative for Germany party has succeeded in transforming these various feelings of discontent into a state of comprehensive skepticism about the entire political system. However, all this should not lead us to ignore the reality and nature of this party, as the constitutional protection bodies classify it as an extreme right-wing party in its branch in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, as are some of the proposals of Zigmund (the party’s candidate) - starting with his call for what he called ‘re-immigration’ (i.e. mass deportations) and ending with his positions related to identity politics - requires that the party be subjected to strict democratic control.”
European phenomenon
At the same time, other newspapers warned that what happened in Germany would continue to spread, at least to France, soon. The Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera wrote a comment in this context, saying:
"But before that (the Alternative for Germany's victory), the far right had forced all of Europe to turn its attention towards it, to the point where Europe seemed to be under the influence of hypnosis. From a small Lutheran state - important in German history but seemingly marginal in the present - the 'AfD' party is now pushing from the peripheries towards the center; it can work on a project that may not necessarily bring it political hegemony in Germany, but it may at least give it a majority."
The original is better than the imitation?!
In search of the reasons that made voters turn their backs on traditional parties, the Italian newspaper goes on to say:
“Saxony-Anhalt reflects many of the fractures that still plague East Germany more than three decades after reunification: lower welfare than the western states, a steadily aging population, demographic contraction, industrial difficulties, and a deep sense of abandonment and neglect. Added to this are immigration issues, rejection of certain cultural policies, and growing distrust of Berlin.”
Are we facing a geographically receding problem? According to the Spanish newspaper El País, absolutely not. The result has larger dimensions and is not only related to the specificity of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, but rather it has a relationship with policies at the level of Europe and Germany that have not been of benefit. She wrote:
“Everything that was solid is collapsing, and many of the tools that were once used to curb the extreme right have proven to be ineffective, and sometimes even counterproductive. The overwhelming victory of the Alternative for Germany party in the small state of Saxony-Anhalt (eastern Germany) will force the democratic camp to reconsider its strategies used over the past years, and to reevaluate facts that were until now considered indisputable givens. For example, the attempt to emulate the program of the extreme right - which is what many have done - has proven European conservatives - ineffective; voters usually prefer the 'original version'.
As for the Wall Street Journal, it considered that “the message is clear, even if the numerical calculations of the majority may not give the party a majority that would enable it to govern or form a state government capable of working. Voters are tired of the established traditional parties. This state of frustration is mainly fueled by the liberal immigration policy that Berlin has pursued for a decade since 2015, and which has proven difficult to reverse. In addition to this is an economic weakness for which Berlin is unable to find an effective remedy. Moreover, “Traditional parties refuse to acknowledge that their excessive focus on climate neutrality is having dire consequences for families struggling with ever-rising energy costs.”
Maretz and his party are in the heart of the hurricane
The leaders of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in particular found themselves in a major dilemma after the election results emerged, and despite the attempts of many of them to evade journalists' questions about the future of the party and Chancellor Friedrich Merz, to which it belongs, what was revealed from their brief statements is the extent of the crisis currently afflicting them. They refuse to enter into a government coalition with the Alternative, like the rest of the democratic parties. At the same time, they are well aware of the validity of what the Wall Street Journal wrote when it considered that what happened “is a warning signal that voters may at some point take the risk of granting power to a government formed by the Alternative for Germany party alone.”
As for the London newspaper The Independent, it clearly considered the victory “a symbolic setback for (Friedrich) Merz, whose party - which belongs to the center-right movement - ruled the state of Saxony-Anhalt for 24 years.”
The Neue Züricher Zeitung newspaper, in turn, focused on the German Chancellor's victory in the Alternative Party and wrote: “The severe shock that the party is facing now can only be explained by considering the high hopes that voters - especially the right-wing conservatives - placed on Meretz. Meretz represented a break with the years of Merkel's rule, which many recently felt were heavy and burdened by stagnation. (...) However, what the voters got after that was, for the most part, just A replica of the Merkel era. Perhaps voters would have forgiven former Chancellor Angela Merkel; they knew what to expect from her, and they 'knew her' - as Merkel rightly put it - they did not know him, and when they had the opportunity to get to know him, it was a huge shock."
On the verge of a major political crisis?
The biggest challenge in the wake of the elections is finding answers to outstanding questions that need to be considered quickly, especially for conservatives. This is the scene that the Polish news magazine Politika detailed in its online version, saying:
"The victory of the AfD is a political nightmare for Friedrich Merez, who is already ranked as one of the least popular German chancellors. Moreover, within his party there is an increasingly intense debate about the strategy to be followed in dealing with this party; while some argue that continuing to isolate the far right is pointless and that the Christian Democrats (CDU) should start a dialogue, others - who are closest to Merez - want to maintain the current approach and convince other parties to stick to the 'separation wall.' (Policy of non-cooperation with the extreme right).”
The newspaper goes on to warn of difficult days accompanying the deadline for forming the government (30 days), during which it is likely that there will be a wave of unimplementable political statements, and a series of attacks against Meretz, as well as discussions about holding early federal parliamentary elections and the possibility of the collapse of the federal government.
The newspaper adds: “If we also take into account the weakness of the economy, the collapse of the German industrial model in front of the eyes of the world, and the increasing rates of unemployment, then we cannot rule out the possibility that we are all on the cusp of a massive German crisis, which will undoubtedly spread to include the entire continent.”
Edited by: Hassan Zenand
