In the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerged as the leading party with 44% of the vote. However, the anti-immigrant, pro-Russian party is three seats short of an absolute majority and will need to either find a coalition partner or govern from a minority position.
Both options mean that many of the manifesto’s ideas may never come to fruition, as Germany’s mainstream parties have long refused to cooperate with the party and built what it calls a “firewall” against the far right.
One route could be an agreement with the left-wing populist party BSW, which criticized the firewall on Monday and shares some of the AfD’s criticism of German policy on immigration and Ukraine. AfD leaders in Saxony-Anhalt also favor the more right-wing wing of the conservative Christian Democratic Party (CDU), but German Chancellor Friedrich Merz firmly denies any cooperation.
Germany’s federal system gives the 16 states significant powers in areas such as education, culture, police and public broadcasting, so discussions over a possible union in the coming days will be crucial to the future direction of the states.
The AfD, a party labeled by Germany’s domestic intelligence service as a right-wing extremist party, has made no secret of its desire to use power in Saxony-Anhalt as a blueprint for other states. The state’s chancellor candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, told CNN during the campaign that he hoped his party’s victory would put an end to some of the “crazy” federal policies.
But first, the party will have to deal with Saxony-Anhalt’s budget shortfall and the challenges of transitioning from opposition to government.
Take a closer look at the party’s 258-page manifesto at the pinnacle of power. This is a radical vision of the party’s goals for the nation and beyond.
The party’s manifesto centers on an overhaul of its immigration policy, including the immediate deportation of illegal immigrants, the expansion of mass detention facilities, and the return of non-ethnic German citizens to their countries of origin, a policy the party calls “re-immigration.”
The AfD claims that the region has “exhausted” its capacity to accept refugees “not only from a security policy but also from an identity perspective.”
“Those who are asked to leave the country must be held in deportation detention under our government,” Siegmund said in a recent interview.
Part of the AfD’s manifesto calls for a “migrant offensive” against Ukrainian nationals, arguing that they should be sent home because “large parts of Ukraine are considered safe.”
But Johannes Kees, deputy director of the Else Frenkel Brunswick Institute for Democracy at the University of Leipzig (EFBI), says immigration policy is one of the most difficult to implement because each canton is limited by federal laws and regulations.
“We anticipate significant legal uncertainty and confusion,” Keith said.
The AfD has also frequently called on Germany to end aid to Ukraine and forge closer ties with Russia, putting it at odds with other major political parties and the federal government, which has been Ukraine’s biggest backer since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Education is also an important policy area for the AfD. Mr Sigmund promised to overhaul Saxony-Anhalt’s school curriculum and “de-ideologize” schools, including banning Pride flags and promoting “traditional” German values.
AfD politicians in Saxony-Anhalt want school lessons to focus on the period of German history before World War I and World War II, rather than Germany’s Nazi past, in line with the party’s stated desire for Germans to focus on national pride and beyond guilt.
“Less Hitler, more Bismarck,” Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, the party’s regional culture spokesperson, summed it up in an interview with German media.
“We want a completely new, completely different education policy,” he said. “Political influence on children, political indoctrination, as we are experiencing, is not the job of schools.”
The party’s manifesto also calls for separate classes in which refugee children are taught separately by other refugees, and education aimed at sending the message that their stay in Germany is temporary.
Under the plan, children with disabilities would also receive individualized instruction.
The AfD promised what it called a “new patriotic cultural policy” and argued that state institutions should play a more active role in promoting German national identity.
As part of its national manifesto, the AfD pledged to stop funding what it called “anti-German” art.
Asked to clarify what he meant by that, Tilschneider said, “Anti-German art is German art that doesn’t want to be German,” citing how he saw performances of works by classical German composers modified through the lens of “feminist deconstructionism.”
The AfD said artists and organizations seeking state funding must sign a pledge not to disrespect Germany and its culture.
The party’s manifesto said the previous state government had placed too much cultural importance on Germany’s famous art school, the Bauhaus, as part of its agenda of “modern thinking”. For the AfD, the movement lacks a strong German identity.
Critics have noted clear echoes of how the Nazis attacked modern art.
“The AfD is attacking the Bauhaus using exactly the same words that the Nazis used 100 years ago,” Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer told The Associated Press. “And that’s why Democrats, whether conservative or left-wing, are fighting back against this.”
Keith told CNN that Saxony-Anhalt would rapidly become “materially and culturally impoverished” under AfD policies.
One of the biggest issues facing Germany following the AfD’s electoral success is the effectiveness of its so-called “firewall” against the far right.
It is now widely accepted that this policy may have contributed to the rise of the far right by shielding it from the accountability that arises when parties come to power and face the realities of governance. A firewall would also create a ragtag coalition of mainstream parties that would have difficulty finding policy consensus and moving things forward in government.
Still, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union and other mainstream parties have vowed to maintain a firewall.
“If this result is not an obligation to govern, then what is an obligation to govern?” Siegmund said at a press conference on Monday. “That is why our goal now is to form just such a stable majority in the coming days and weeks. … There are different ways to achieve this: either through the support of parliamentary groups or individual MPs, in fact through outright support.”
How the situation develops in Saxony-Anhalt could influence two other German regional elections this month. In the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, the AfD has a lead of around 35%, according to the latest poll by Infratest Dimap. Another strong showing by the AfD could have far-reaching implications for Germany’s next federal elections, expected in 2029.
The AfD was only founded in 2013, but polls suggest it would win the majority of votes if national elections were held today.
