Sports · Sun Belt Post
The candidate who led the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party to a historic state election victory in Saxony-Anhalt has thanked Elon Musk for his support. The AfD more than doubled its support in the region, appearing on the brink of becoming the first far-right party to gain power in Germany at the state level since World War II. Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD’s lead candidate, thanked Musk on X for his support and perspective on political developments, expressing a desire for strong cooperation.
Siegmund’s comments followed Musk’s congratulatory message to AfD co-founder Alice Weidel after she posted about the projected win. US President Donald Trump posted a screenshot of the election projection without comment on Truth Social, and Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev praised the AfD’s win as historic. The AfD is pro-Kremlin, advocating for halting support for Ukraine and pushing Ukrainians to lose refugee status.
Exit polls showed the party securing 44.4% of the vote, surpassing predictions and the Christian Democrats (CDU) of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who trailed at 18.4%. The far-left Die Linke was third with 9.3%, Social Democrats on 8.4%, and Greens on 8.7%. However, forming a government remains unclear due to the AfD’s refusal to enter coalitions and rejection by mainstream parties.
France’s Europe minister Benjamin Haddad warned the win signals a ‘serious moment’ for Europe, emphasizing the dangers of nationalism and xenophobia. He urged humility in addressing public anger and fears, stressing the importance of historical context. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk condemned the AfD’s victory, calling it a triumph for ‘idiots or traitors.’ The German Economic Institute warned the AfD’s immigration policies could be ‘calamitous’ for Saxony-Anhalt’s aging population and reliance on foreign workers.
Critics also fear an AfD-run state could leak sensitive information to Russia. The AfD dismisses these claims, proposing reforms to the domestic intelligence service, calling it biased.
Source: The Guardian
