{"id":1192462,"date":"2026-09-08T02:31:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T02:31:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1192462\/"},"modified":"2026-09-08T02:31:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T02:31:22","slug":"german-leader-under-pressure-after-far-right-state-election-triumph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1192462\/","title":{"rendered":"German leader under pressure after far-right state election triumph"},"content":{"rendered":"

BERLIN (AP) \u2014 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz doubled down Monday on pushing through unpopular reforms to Europe\u2019s largest economy after a far-right party surged to a landslide victory in a regional election<\/a>, with a very good chance of forming the first far-right state government since the Nazi era.<\/p>\n

Merz said his center-right Christian Democratic Union was \u201cdeeply shocked\u201d by what he called \u201cthe most serious election defeat that the CDU has had for years, for decades.\u201d But he indicated that he\u2019s determined to stay at the helm and said that \u201cgiving up is not an option for me.\u201d <\/p>\n

The anti-migration and Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany, or AfD, fell just short of a majority in Sunday\u2019s vote in Saxony-Anhalt, a small eastern state that gained outsized prominence as AfD eyed power there. Its regional branch is one of several considered a proven right-wing extremist group by Germany\u2019s domestic intelligence agency.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Chancellor<\/p>\n

Chancellor Friedrich Merz is attending a press conference following the CDU Federal Executive Committee at the Konrad Adenauer House, in Berlin, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, the day after AfD large success in elections. (Michael Kappeler\/dpa via AP)<\/p>\n

Chancellor Friedrich Merz is attending a press conference following the CDU Federal Executive Committee at the Konrad Adenauer House, in Berlin, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026, the day after AfD large success in elections. (Michael Kappeler\/dpa via AP)<\/p>\n

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Merz says Germany will stick to its values and Russia stance<\/p>\n

AfD\u2019s victory is a major distraction for Germany and Merz at a time when Europe faces several challenges, including Russia\u2019s continued aggression against Ukraine<\/a>, a suspected sabotage campaign<\/a> targeting NATO countries, and difficult dealings<\/a> with U.S. President Donald Trump. <\/p>\n

Merz said he wanted to assure Germany\u2019s allies that \u201cour institutions are resilient and stable\u201d and the country will stick to its values and constitution after the AfD win. \u201cWe know that Germany carries special responsibility because of its history,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He vowed that he won\u2019t \u201cbudge one millimeter from my fundamental conviction that we must defend our freedom against Russia now.\u201d Germany is one of Ukraine\u2019s biggest supporters in its war against Russia.<\/p>\n

Because of Germany\u2019s Nazi past, far-right movements have always come under strong scrutiny. Other major parties have refused to cooperate<\/a> with AfD in a so-called \u201cfirewall.\u201d Unlike many countries in Europe, modern Germany hasn\u2019t yet had a far-right or right-wing populist party leading a national, state or major-city government.<\/p>\n

Determination to continue reforms \u2018unbroken\u2019<\/p>\n

Merz vowed to weaken AfD before he came to power last year, but instead has seen the party\u2019s support increase. <\/p>\n

The governing coalition of his Union bloc and the center-left Social Democrats has developed a reputation for squabbling and become deeply unpopular, as has Merz himself. The government has struggled to persuade voters that it can get the country\u2019s chronically sluggish economy<\/a> moving, through potentially painful reforms, including to the pension system.<\/p>\n

But Merz insisted Monday that \u201cwe need fundamental reforms in Germany.\u201d He said it\u2019s a question of \u201cnothing less than the future of our country and the opportunities of our children and grandchildren, and we must not squander those. That is why my determination to continue the reform course is unbroken.\u201d<\/p>\n

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He acknowledged a need to \u201cjustify them, not just rationally but also emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Germany faces another two regional elections on Sept. 20 \u2014 in Berlin and in another eastern state, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where AfD is also strong. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"German<\/p>\n

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, center, Sven Schulze, Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt and State Chairman of the CDU Saxony-Anhalt, center right, attend a meeting of the CDU Federal Executive Committee in Berlin, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (Michael Kappeler\/dpa via AP)<\/p>\n

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, center, Sven Schulze, Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt and State Chairman of the CDU Saxony-Anhalt, center right, attend a meeting of the CDU Federal Executive Committee in Berlin, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (Michael Kappeler\/dpa via AP)<\/p>\n

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AfD looks for a path to power in Saxony-Anhalt<\/p>\n

While Merz continues to push back against resistance to reforms, AfD \u2014 whose victory was cheered by far-right parties across Europe \u2014 faces potentially tricky maneuvering to put its candidate for governor in Saxony-Anhalt, Ulrich Siegmund<\/a>, in power.<\/p>\n

Siegmund had pushed for an absolute majority in the state legislature that would allow AfD to sidestep mainstream parties\u2019 shunning of it. After the vote, he signaled that AfD still isn\u2019t willing to make compromises, insisting that \u201cwe don\u2019t want to become like the parties that were punished\u201d by breaking pre-election promises. He also rejected the idea of a minority government.<\/p>\n

But he said that it has \u201ca very clear mandate to form the government,\u201d and that his party would reach out to other groups in the legislature and even to individual lawmakers. \u201cOur goal now is to build precisely this stable majority in the coming days and weeks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

AfD is three seats short of a majority. It could reach out to the hard-left BSW party, which won five seats. The two parties share a Russia-friendly course and oppose immigration but disagree on some other issues. <\/p>\n

BSW has criticized the \u201cfirewall\u201d against AfD and signaled again Monday that it could allow Siegmund to become governor by abstaining in a potential third round of voting for a new governor in the state legislature, in which a simple majority would suffice.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also possible that newly elected lawmakers from other parties could defect to AfD, which would only need three to break ranks.<\/p>\n

Forming a government excluding AfD would only be possible if all the other parties in the legislature worked together. However, an alliance of any kind between those parties is improbable and would be prone to instability. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Top<\/p>\n

Top candidate Ulrich Siegmund speaks at an election party of the \u201cAlternative for Germany\u201d (AfD) after the Saxony-Anhalt state elections in Magdeburg, eastern Germany, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (AP Photo\/Matthias Schrader)<\/p>\n

Top candidate Ulrich Siegmund speaks at an election party of the \u201cAlternative for Germany\u201d (AfD) after the Saxony-Anhalt state elections in Magdeburg, eastern Germany, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (AP Photo\/Matthias Schrader)<\/p>\n

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Jubilation from Musk and right-wing populists <\/p>\n

Billionaire Elon Musk congratulated the party on its election victory with a \u201cWell done!\u201d on his online platform X. Siegmund immediately thanked him for his support.<\/p>\n

Trump posted a screenshot of the election projection on his Truth Social platform without any comment.<\/p>\n

Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev on X described the outcome of the election as a \u201chistoric win for the pragmatic AfD that will put migration under control.\u201d Dmitriev also said that \u201cAfD will restore Germany and Europe by leading the common-sense approach that migrant-friendly, warmongering Biden-think EU politicians tried to eradicate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The leaders of right-wing populist parties in Spain and Portugal also congratulated AfD.<\/p>\n

The Polish prime minister was critical. \u201cIn Poland, only idiots or traitors could rejoice the AfD triumph in Germany,\u201d Donald Tusk wrote on X.<\/p>\n

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, whose country faces a presidential election next year in which the far right is a leading contender, said that \u201cAfD\u2019s platform is a betrayal of the European spirit\u201d and that \u201cour first responsibility is to resist the normalization of far-right ideas.\u201d <\/p>\n

Among voters who didn\u2019t back AfD, the reaction was one of deep dismay. Horst Walter Boerner, an 86-year-old from Magdeburg born during World War II, expressed shock. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s terrible for us,\u201d he said, saying the election was \u201cfear-driven.\u201d He said AfD\u2019s victory was foreseeable because of the crowds it drew during the campaign, but he said \u201cthis should have never happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press journalists Claudia Ciobanu in Warsaw, Poland, and Kerstin Sopke in Magdeburg, Germany, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BERLIN (AP) \u2014 German Chancellor Friedrich Merz doubled down Monday on pushing through unpopular reforms to Europe\u2019s largest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1192463,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5310],"tags":[225767,51,32,5898,33,295,2000,299,1699,1945,4179,1824,323176,13302,7664,26682,285,323177,295223,263],"class_list":["post-1192462","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-germany","tag-2026-elections","tag-business","tag-donald-trump","tag-donald-tusk","tag-elections","tag-elon-musk","tag-eu","tag-europe","tag-european-union","tag-friedrich-merz","tag-general-news","tag-germany","tag-horst-walter-boerner","tag-jean-noel-barrot","tag-kirill-dmitriev","tag-legislation","tag-politics","tag-religion-and-politics","tag-ulrich-siegmund","tag-world-news"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/117233079504725411","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1192462","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1192462"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1192462\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1192463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1192462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1192462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1192462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}