The historic victory of the AfD (Alternative for Germany) with 43.8 percent in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt has sent shockwaves through Europe’s ruling elites.
The much-discussed party won a landslide and historic victory on Sunday evening, a victory that is already being downplayed by many, as Saxony-Anhalt is one of Germany’s smallest and economically weakest states. But much more is at stake than just the number of votes: The victory marks a turning point not only in German but also in European politics and seals the gradual decline of the globalized ruling class, which for decades has desperately tried to prevent far-right/national socialist movements from seizing power, especially through the so-called “firewall” against the supposed far-right.
The destruction of this firewall is a historic event, even if it is done by such a seemingly insignificant state.
The AfD victory represents a significant loss of power for the elites and a turning point that breaks a psychological barrier, giving further impetus to other critical of the system, far-right or national socialist parties across Europe.
Another side effect of the victory is that it forces the ruling German establishment to reconsider its most unpopular policies, such as immigration policy, financing the war in Ukraine, and to adapt to significantly changing political currents.
There is another finding from the Saxony-Anhalt elections: By stoking fears about Russia, voters’ electoral decisions cannot be influenced, at least not in East Germany.
It is no coincidence that the accusations against Russia for the infamous “drone attack” at Leipzig-Halle airport (Halle an der Saale is the largest city in Saxony-Anhalt) were made a few days before the elections, which was certainly no coincidence.
The provocation was of no use, the poll ratings of the “pro-Russian” AfD not only did not fall, but the election result surpassed them.
Who is upset with the AfD victory?
The same voices that have been shouting “let the people decide” for years are treating the result as if their house had caught fire. They are the same ones who applaud street protests as “democracy” when it helps their side. But when the people vote otherwise, they call it a crisis and talk about a “firewall,” i.e. an agreement between defeated parties so that the winners never really govern.
Why don’t the systemic parties say it clearly?
If their democracy only counts when their team wins, then it’s not democracy. If they think parties like the AfD are wrong, then let them beat them in the next election. Instead, they say “we have to lock them out of the system to save democracy.”
This is what the professional “freedom fighters” say. The official “people of democracy.”
The voters of Saxony-Anhalt used the ballot box to win. And that is something that the ruling elites of Europe cannot stand.
Note for those who want to delve into history: In 1932, the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP) came to power for the first time in the federal state of Anhalt and, as the strongest party with 40.3 percent, formed a coalition with the equally right-wing German National People’s Party (DNVP).
Alfred Freyberg became the first National Socialist head of government of a German federal state. This coalition became a model after the elections on 5 March 1933, when the NSDAP formed a government with the Black-White-Red Battle Front (Kampffront Schwarz-Weiss-Rot), an electoral alliance dominated by the DNVP, and thus began Hitler’s seizure of power.
