Putin has a theory for Europe’s far-right surge
Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested on Saturday that Europe's rise of far-right parties, such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD), is due to systemic errors made by the West in politics, security, and the economy. Speaking at the BRICS Summit, Putin attributed the phenomenon to the West's "globalists," stating they believed they were invincible after the fall of the Soviet Union and that anything was permissible for them.
The AfD recently topped state elections in Germany's Saxony-Anhalt, with a poll showing they were three points ahead of the center-right CDU, and the party secured 44.5% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt, according to exit polls. Former Chancellor Angela Merkel noted that truth and lies are increasingly being blurred, even by those in power, and acknowledged that some of her decisions during her tenure as chancellor contributed to the AfD's growing popularity.
The AfD's success marks the first time since World War II that a far-right party has led a state election in Germany.
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