The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party must be kept out of government despite scoring a historic victory in Thuringia, Olaf Scholz has said
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) to be excluded from local government following the party’s success in regional elections over the weekend.
The AfD secured its first-ever regional election victory on Sunday, winning in the federal state of Thuringia, according to projections. It also achieved a close second place in Saxony. German authorities have categorized the party as “far-right” and “extremist.”
“The results … are worrying,” Scholz stated in a press release, speaking in his role as an MP for the Social Democratic Party (SPD). “Our country cannot and must not become accustomed to this. The AfD is detrimental to Germany. It is undermining the economy, dividing society, and damaging our country’s reputation.”
The conservative opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was the AfD’s main competitor in both states, while the SPD and the Free Democratic Party (FDP) – both members of the current ruling “traffic light” coalition, alongside the Greens – finished outside the top three. Instead, left-wing newcomer the BSW, led by MP Sahra Wagenknecht, secured third place in both elections.
Scholz claimed that while the outcome was “bitter” for his party, the SPD had at least avoided being completely eliminated from state parliament, contrary to some predictions. He also urged “all democratic parties… to form stable governments without right-wing extremists.”
The AfD national co-leader, Tino Chrupalla, asserted that voters in Thuringia had granted his party a “clear mandate to govern” their state.
The party’s primary policy is opposition to immigration, although it is also highly critical of the foreign policy stances adopted by mainstream political forces in Germany. Chrupalla has rejected continued costly support for Ukraine against Russia under the Scholz government, and has advocated for the resumption of Russian natural gas imports to boost German economic growth.
The BSW has similarly criticized Berlin’s antagonism towards Russia and the expense of continued funding for Kiev. This policy overlap has led some Western media outlets to claim that “pro-Russian” parties are poised to take control of eastern German states, supposedly providing Moscow with a foothold comparable to the USSR’s during the Cold War.