Far‑right AfD wins historic elections in Thuringia, Saxony
After the local elections in Saxony and Thuringia, in which the far-right AfD received significant support, and the left-wing BSW also saw success, the German media reported that although the results were not unexpected, they marked "a terrifying watershed in the post-war history of Germany." Commentators also observe that they should serve as a warning to supporters of democracy.
2 September 2024 07:26
The election evening in Saxony and Thuringia signifies not just a crisis for the ruling parties. "It symbolizes a crisis of liberal democracy," wrote the weekly Spiegel portal. AfD is a far-right party, and BSW represents (...) a kind of left-wing conservatism. Despite their profound differences, both parties share a lack of liberalism.
"Can the political centre still do anything to win people back? The good news: yes, it can. The bad news is that it might take a very long time," noted "Spiegel."
According to forecasts published after the polling stations closed, Alternative for Germany (AfD) won in Thuringia, ahead of the CDU. In Saxony, the Christian Democrats have a slight lead over AfD.
The election results "scream in the face of Olaf Scholz's government"
"Migration and war might have been important issues in these elections, but the frustration of most people runs much deeper and is fuelled by everyday experiences," stated the portal. "When roads and bridges are destroyed, when there’s no mobile network coverage once again when every train journey becomes a lottery, at some point there arises a fundamental feeling: everything is falling apart, nothing works anymore, we are being left behind. And in Berlin, nobody cares anyway."
"The election results in Saxony and Thuringia scream in the face of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government: migration, stupid! But the result must be a warning for all democrats," wrote the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) portal.
The result "is not a surprise. All polls indicated a tsunami of anger and disappointment towards the coalition parties. No matter how hard the ruling parties in Saxony and Thuringia tried to draw voters' attention to the unique features of their lands, federal political issues gave AfD momentum and helped Sahra Wagenknecht's Alliance (...): immigration, internal security, the heating law, rising living costs, relations with Putin’s Russia," FAZ believes.
In the elections in Thuringia and Saxony, "not a stone was left unturned," wrote the RND portal. "This election Sunday is a watershed." For the first time, AfD in Thuringia, a far-right party "with a fascist as the main candidate," won the local elections. "The three parties SPD, the Greens, and FDP, which form the federal government in Berlin, were crushed. It’s hard to imagine more humiliating election results."
"Without a doubt today, on the 85th anniversary of Germany's invasion of Poland, something historic happened in Thuringia," wrote the weekly "Zeit" portal, emphasizing that for the first time in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany, a far-right party won the elections. "In Saxony, it appears that an AfD victory was prevented, but by only a small margin of votes."
"This is a terrifying watershed in the post-war history of Germany," concludes the weekly "Zeit" portal.
