The right-wing Alternative for Germany was projected to win a strong victory in a regional election Sunday, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether it would be able to fulfill its ambition of forming the country’s first right-wing state government since World War II.
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it → project → II
The party’s 35-year-old charismatic candidate for governor of the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt hailed what he called a historic showing and said that Germany’s unpopular leader, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, had helped his campaign.
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leader → hail → campaign
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Ulrich Siegmund told ARD public broadcaster that “we have written history.”
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we → tell → history
Voters, he said, had sent a signal that “things cannot carry on like this.
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things → say → this
It was “also a signal toward Berlin,” Siegmund said.
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Siegmund → say → Berlin
Of Germany’s leader, he added: “A very good campaigner for us in this election campaign was Friedrich Merz.
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campaigner → add → campaign
Alternative for Germany, or AfD, went into the vote seeking an absolute majority in the state legislature to govern on its own.
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Alternative → go → own
That would overcome the so-called firewall of mainstream parties’ refusal to work with AfD, but it was unclear after polls closed whether it would happen.
uncertain
it → overcome → AfD
A first state government would be the biggest prize in the anti-migration party’s 13-year history, at a time of widespread discontent with an unpopular national government that has yet to persuade voters that it can get the country’s sluggish economy moving.
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economy → have → voters
Whether or not AfD can form a government, the projected result is a blow to Merz, whose center-right party has led Saxony-Anhalt for 24 years.
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party → form → years
Unlike other countries in Europe, modern Germany hasn’t yet had a far-right or right-wing populist party leading a national, state or major-city government.
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Germany → have → government
AfD’s regional branch in Saxony-Anhalt is one of several classified by the domestic intelligence agency as a proven right-wing extremist group.
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branch → classify → group
AfD vehemently rejects accusations of extremism.
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AfD → reject → extremism
Projections for ARD and ZDF public television, based on exit polls and early counting, put AfD at around 44% of the vote, more than double its showing five years ago in the region of 2.1 million people west of Berlin.
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Projections → base → Berlin
That was far ahead of the Christian Democratic Union, the center-right party of Merz that has led the state for 24 years, which was seen polling 18.5% and losing about half its support.
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which → lead → support
The Left Party and the center-left Social Democrats and Greens were seen taking around 9% each.
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Party → see → %
It was unclear whether the BSW party would get the 5% of the vote needed to win seats.
uncertain
party → get → seats
The projections put AfD at least marginally short of an absolute majority, though that could change.
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that → put → majority
AfD’s national co-leader, Alice Weidel, described the projected result as “sensational” and said that “we have received a very clear mandate to govern here.”
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we → describe → mandate
The party’s “hand is outstretched to all who want to make Saxony-Anhalt better and move Germany forward,” she said.
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she → outstretche → Germany
A visibly disappointed incumbent governor, Sven Schulze, congratulated AfD on becoming the state’s strongest political force and said that “we as the CDU will also have to deal with this result,” without specifying how.
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we → disappoint → result
Franziska Hoppermann, the national general secretary of Merz’s party, said that it was “a very difficult result for us.”
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it → say → us
She and others rejected the idea of backing off their refusal to deal with AfD.
Germany’s 16 states have extensive powers, for example in overseeing security matters and running the education system.
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states → reject → system
Siegmund has listed among his top priorities “the deportation of people who are illegal, a deportation offensive and above all dropping the incentives for why people come here and exploit our social system.”
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people → list → system
He wants to initiate a long process to withdraw Saxony-Anhalt from the regional public broadcaster, citing concerns about “disinformation.”
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He → want → disinformation
AfD in Saxony-Anhalt wants to allow home schooling, which so far isn’t permitted in Germany.
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which → want → Germany
It pledges to ban schools from officially raising the rainbow flag and ensure they fly the national flag.
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they → pledge → flag
It opposes taxpayers’ money being “given away” to Ukraine and says it would push to lift sanctions against Russia, but that isn’t a matter state governments can decide.
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governments → oppose → Russia
The Aporia
