"It is an earthquake that changes history"

"Newspapers from New York to Rome are highlighting the rise of the far-right AfD in their articles. The difficult situation for Olaf Scholz and the traffic light coalition is also receiving attention.

 

The American newspaper "New York Times" writes: "The elections in the two former East German states were closely watched in Berlin as an indicator of the growing strength of extremist parties from the left and right, as well as the weakening position of the centrist parties that form the current coalition at the federal level. It was the first time since the Nazi era that a far-right party won a state election. The results are seen as a worrying indicator of the health and future of German democracy and are likely to exacerbate the dilemma over whether and how the established parties can succeed in isolating extremists and preventing them from entering government."

 

The "Wall Street Journal" sums up the situation as follows: "Right-wing extremists are on the verge of a historic election victory in East Germany. The elections in two federal states could bring the first victory for the right-wing extremists in Germany since the end of the Second World War - and a new embarrassment for Olaf Scholz's government."

 

"Le Parisien" from France also sees a problem for the Chancellor and his coalition in particular: "Right-wing extremists win a state election, the first in the post-war period. (...) These results are unprecedented for the party and represent another heavy blow to Olaf Scholz's fragile coalition, as the polls show."

 

"The Economist" from Great Britain classifies the elections in Saxony and Thuringia as follows: "The symbolic nature of the results will carry more weight than their content. It is true that over 40 percent of voters in both states voted for populist parties that sometimes sound like mouthpieces for the Kremlin. But the German states have little influence on the country's foreign policy. Nor can the election results in two small states, whose total population of 6.2 million makes up about 7 percent of the total German population, be seen as a national indicator.”

 

The British newspaper “The Guardian” comments: “The far-right AfD is on the verge of winning a state election in the east. For the first time since the Second World War, a far-right party has become the strongest force in a German state parliament (...), while a new populist force on the left has taken a firm place in the country's political landscape. Voters have made their dissatisfaction with the established parties in Germany clear in two closely watched elections in the formerly communist east.”

 

“La Repubblica” from Italy says: “It is an earthquake that changes history. For the first time since the end of the war, a far-right party has won a state election in Germany. 90 years after Hitler came to power. And in a state, Thuringia, which is notorious for the first time supporting a local government by the Nazis in 1924.”

 

The elections in Saxony and Thuringia are also a topic in Spain. “El Mundo” analyses: “The extreme right is unstoppable in the state elections in Germany: according to polls, it is winning in Thuringia and coming second in Saxony. The AfD is managing to appeal to an electorate that rejects immigration and a policy of hostility towards Russia.”

 

“El País” states: “According to projections, Germany's AfD ultras are winning the election in Thuringia. Björn Höcke, the party's most radical leader, wins first place, but is unlikely to be able to govern. In Saxony, the conservative CDU wins by a narrow margin.”

 

The “Kronenzeitung” from Austria comments: “What both [AfD and BSW, editor's note] have in common is their self-image as “against those at the top” parties. They fired sharp broadsides against the government, especially against the traffic light coalition in Berlin. Both the AfD and the BSW deny them almost any ability to solve problems. They paint the state of the country in the darkest colors and offer themselves as saviors. "Our country is not in good shape," says the BSW's founding manifesto. (...) Without a partner, however, the AfD has only the opposition. The BSW, on the other hand, could soon find itself in a situation where it has to prove itself in government responsibility. Before that, however, oil and water would have to come together: the possible partner CDU is miles away from the BSW's positions."

 

The Swiss "Tages-Anzeiger" commented: "Broad majorities in East Germany do not want just to slow down irregular immigration, but to stop it - and the delivery of weapons to Ukraine as well. Both issues explain the triumph of the right-wing extremist AfD and the new populist group of Sahra Wagenknecht.

 

Together they collect almost half of all votes in Thuringia. Both have succeeded in channeling the discontent with the government in Berlin to their own ends - better than the most important opposition party in Germany, the CDU. Nevertheless, they are also among the winners. Unlike the AfD, which remains isolated in its extremism, the CDU is the last party in the broad center around which governments can still be formed in such conservative regions: In Saxony, Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer is holding his own against the AfD, in Thuringia Mario Voigt is in line for the state chancellery - subject to difficult coalition negotiations. For the SPD, the chancellor's party, the first day of the election in the east is a pitch-black affair. If the Social Democrats also go under in Brandenburg in three weeks and their Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke loses his power there, Chancellor Olaf Scholz will also be in trouble. With the federal elections in a year's time, a revolt by the party against him can no longer be ruled out."

 

Finally, the liberal newspaper "Hospodarske noviny" from the Czech Republic writes: "For Björn Höcke, the leading candidate of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Thuringia, it is clear where his first trip abroad would go if he were one day elected Chancellor: to Moscow. (...) The key issues of his election campaign were opposition to further aid for Ukraine, relations with Russia and migration. (...)

 

But Höcke is still a long way from entering the Chancellery. Despite his party's clear election victory in the state, he is unlikely to even become Prime Minister of Thuringia. (...) Because no party at either the state or federal level wants to form a coalition with the AfD. In order to form state governments in Thuringia and Saxony, cooperation between the CDU and Sahra Wagenknecht's BSW will be necessary, even if this is a very unnatural combination."