German far-right AfD party leading local elections in Saxony-Anhalt calls for Russian classes to return to schools

The AfD could come to power for the first time in Saxony-Anhalt, an eastern state that was formerly part of East Germany, according to a recent report by Deutsche Welle, citing polling data. Several months ahead of the September elections to the state parliament, the party’s support stands at about 41%.

That level of popularity could allow it to form a one-party government. The current governing coalition in the 97-seat Landtag, or state parliament, consists of the Social Democrats, the Free Democrats, and the Christian Democrats. By number of seats, the AfD currently ranks second with 23, behind the Christian Democratic Union, which has 40.

At the regional level, the far-right party has been classified as a “confirmed right-wing extremist” organization by the regional branch of the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany’s domestic intelligence body. Law enforcement authorities have accused the AfD of contradicting the basic principles of Germany’s democratic order, including by promoting a concept of “the people” based on ethnic origin rather than legal equality. The party, in turn, called the decision politicized.

Dmitri Stratievski, a political analyst and director of the Berlin Center for East European Studies, told The Insider that AfD’s rise to power in one region would be a “serious problem” at the federal level.

“If the Greens do not pass the threshold and AfD gets, say, 42.5% to 43%, it is entirely possible that the party would have a real chance to form the government of Saxony-Anhalt on its own. Importantly, Germany is still a country with a bicameral parliament. In addition to the Bundestag, there is the Bundesrat, the chamber of the federal states, where all federal states are represented. Roughly a third of laws passed by the Bundestag require approval in the Bundesrat. German history has seen more than one case, including quite recently, when a law was passed by the Bundestag but vetoed by the Bundesrat, and eventually failed.

Let’s examine a hypothetical situation: AfD becomes the governing party in Saxony-Anhalt. Admittedly, the state is small and not densely populated, so the AfD’s political weight or vote reserve would be very limited compared with major federal states such as North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Bavaria, or Baden-Württemberg.

But, as is well known, serious political battles also take place among democratic parties. It is entirely possible that in the event of a political conflict between democratic parties — say, between the Social Democrats, the Christian Democrats, and the Greens — that very AfD vote from Saxony-Anhalt could be decisive in preventing a bill from passing.

If the AfD comes to power in any federal state, naturally including Saxony-Anhalt, it would mean not only a reshaping of the political landscape in that state, but also serious, I would say fundamental, changes at the federal level. The AfD would thereby become a serious, established player in federal politics, effectively one of the governing parties, although, of course, it would not join the federal coalition.”