AI-generated summary
Im Februar 2025 stimmten AfD und CDU im Bundestag gemeinsam ab, was zu landesweiten Protesten führte, bei denen Hunderttausende auf die Straße gingen.
Auf einmal war sie da, diese Lähmung. Die in allen Knochen sitzende Ermattung, die große Teile des Nicht-AfD-Lagers ergriffen hat. Vor allem in Sachsen-Anhalt, aber nicht nur da.
Es gab ein paar Demonstrationen zuletzt, darunter auch einige größere. 20.000 Teilnehmende zum Beispiel in Düsseldorf am Samstag, 25.000 in Hamburg. Das sind viele Menschen, aber doch deutlich weniger als zum Beispiel im Februar 2025. Damals, nach der gemeinsamen Abstimmung von AfD und CDU im Bundestag, protestierten Hunderttausende. Und je näher man Sachsen-Anhalt geografisch gerade kommt, desto ruhiger wird es.
In the local elections in Lower Saxony, the CDU lost four percentage points compared to 2021 and came to 27.7 percent, while the SPD fell to 24.5 percent. The AfD more than tripled its result to 16.5 percent. At the BRICS summit in Delhi, the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, as well as new members such as Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates, met to discuss the Iran-Israel conflict, reform of international organizations and their role as a counterweight to the G7.
Representatives of the nationalist parties from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland held talks in Cardiff about possible independence referendums and called on the British government to prepare constitutional changes. The meeting took place a few days after US President Trump made statements supporting Irish reunification. Britain rejected a referendum on Northern Ireland's status, citing the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
The Saarland Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger (SPD) expressed concern about the AfD election result and criticized the previous reforms by the Union and SPD as a perceived list of cuts. She called for more listening from citizens and emphasized the need for trust in politics, while praising Merz's self-criticism but warning that better rhetoric alone is not enough.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney reiterated that Canada does not want to become a member of the European Union, but is seeking a unique alliance. This comes in the context of the escalating trade dispute with the US under President Trump, who is announcing new tariffs on Canadian cars and auto parts. Canada and the EU discuss free movement in strategic sectors and joint infrastructure projects.
In the local elections in Lower Saxony, the AfD made strong gains, while the CDU and SPD suffered losses. The AfD becomes the strongest force in Salzgitter and enters several runoff elections. The CDU emphasizes the need for political change in Berlin due to high energy and housing prices. The left is gaining ground, while red-green coalitions are losing support.
According to projections, the CDU remains the strongest force in the local elections in Lower Saxony with 27.7 percent, ahead of the SPD (24.5 percent) and AfD (16.5 percent). The CDU loses 4.0 points compared to 2021, the SPD 5.5 points, while AfD gains 11.9 points. The Left gains 3.1 points to 5.9 percent. The results are seen as a benchmark for federal politics before the state elections take place in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin.