French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said on Monday he was worried by the victory of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the Saxony-Anhalt state election on Sunday.
“I recently had the opportunity to speak with German business leaders who were extremely concerned,” Lescure said in an interview with RTL radio station.
“This shows that we face a major challenge in the face of a populist wave which is spreading around the world today and which we must resist,” he added, also saying that the result sent out a “very, very worrying signal.”
The AfD’s victory also sparked concerns in Poland, with their foreign minister calling it a disturbing signal.
“It seems they’re just a few votes short of an absolute majority, but this is indeed a very worrying sign,” Radoslaw Sikorski told Radio Vox FM.
AfD first far-right party at cusp of power since WWII
The AfD party surged into first place in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, exit polls showed, putting a far-right party on the cusp of power at state level for the first time since World War Two.
While short of an overall majority, the AfD won 44% of the vote and delivered a drubbing to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives, reflecting the deep unpopularity of Germany’s ruling coalition in a fracturing political landscape.
The AfD is already Germany’s most popular party at the national level and is seeking to secure a foothold for advancing its agenda, which includes heavy restrictions on immigration, restoring ties with Russia, cutting support to Ukraine and quitting the euro.
“We have made history in this country,” said Ulrich Siegmund, the 35-year-old AfD lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, who attracted thousands to his campaign rallies and who repeatedly cast victory in the state as a first step towards securing national power in federal elections due in 2029.
“The people have made it absolutely clear that they finally want political change and, above all, they have shown that they want it with us,” Siegmund said.
