German far right's breakthrough shakes Europe to its core
The result was not enough to win outright, but certainly enough to shake Germany and Europe to their core: the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) trounced the ruling conservatives in the impoverished former East German state of Saxony-Anhalt in Sunday's election. We ask about the consequences of voting for an anti-immigrant, pro-Russian party that wants schools to teach less about the ills of Hitler and more about the glory of Bismarck.
Will Sunday's result further fuel the momentum of the far right in places like Sweden, which votes next Sunday or here in France, where the far right is currently the odds-on favourite in next spring's presidential elections?
After dropping in on Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, French far-right leader Jordan Bardella was invited to speak to Italian business leaders at a weekend forum. Are we seeing a further normalisation of parties that once seemed fringe?
As for the mainstream, be it France or Germany, what does it need to offer to win back voters from MAGA and Putin-backed formations? You might ask: between Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz and France's outgoing leader Emmanuel Macron, who is on shakier ground?
With:
Marie Krpata, Research Fellow, Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) at Ifri
Jakob Haesler, Global Consulting Leader, Forvis Mazars
Karolina Zbytniewska, Editor-in-Chief of FocusEurope.pl, Gdansk, Poland
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Marie KRPATA
Research Fellow, Study Committee on Franco-German Relations (Cerfa), Ifri
