Germany’s right-wing party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) saw historic gains in two state elections.
AfD received nearly one-third of the vote in Thuringia and finished second in Saxony.
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) received the greatest number of votes in Saxony, securing 31.9% of the vote, according to the BBC. The AfD obtained about 30.6% of the vote in Saxony, The Guardian reported.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose party was not successful in the state elections, called the results “bitter.”
“The AfD is damaging Germany. It is weakening the economy, dividing society and ruining our country’s reputation,” Scholz told Reuters. His left-wing Social Democratic Party (SPD), was projected to win about 8% of the vote in Thuringia.
The AfD’s co-leader, Alice Weidel, said that without the AfD, a “stable government is no longer possible at all.”
French politician Valérie Hayer condemned the election results and called them “unprecedented.”
“A dark day for Germany is a dark day for Europe. The election result in Thuringia and Saxony is unprecedented. We shall not let Europe give in to racist, antisemitic, misogynist and homophobic movements,” Hayer wrote on X. “We shall more than ever stand up for our democratic values. They are never forever granted.”
Simon Goddek, Ph.D., believes the election results indicate that “people are finally waking up.”