Holocaust survivor ‘appalled, saddened’ by far-right AfD’s victory in German state

On September 6, the right-wing Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party triumphed in the German federal state of Saxony-Anhalt's elections, marking a significant shift in the country's political landscape. The AfD, a party that has gained popularity over the past decade and is accused of being right-wing, far-right, populist, and even fascist, secured 43.8% of the vote, winning 39 out of the 83 seats in the Landtag.

The election results saw the incumbent governing party, the center-right Christian Democratic Union, which also houses Germany's current Chancellor Friedrich Merz, reduced to 17.2%. The party's only other contenders, such as the Social Democratic Party, the Greens, and the Der Linke, received less than 10% of the votes each.

The AfD, founded in 2013, has risen dramatically in the past years, representing the state governments of almost all German states. It is currently the second-largest German party in the European Union parliament. Founded in opposition to the eurozone bailouts of Greece, the AfD has evolved to adopt more anti-immigration stances following Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to admit Syrian refugees fleeing violence in their home countries.

The AfD's stance on various issues has drawn controversy and accusations. Some label it as an extremist-right group, branding it as xenophobic, anti-minority, and Islamophobic. There are also concerns that the AfD may house elements of Germany's neo-Nazi movement, despite leaders' efforts to distance themselves from such associations.

On the other hand, the party's leaders assert their conservatism or libertarianism, emphasizing conservative conceptions of family, nationalist economic approaches, and a desire for radical change in the wake of Germany's economic struggles in the former East German regions.