Right-wing radical AFD can govern – with left-wing populists

 

Nivette Dawod

 

Published 17.58

The right-wing nationalist AFD became the largest party in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

But to govern the state, they must seek support – from a left-wing populist party.

– It would be a very extreme state government, says political science professor Ann-Kristin Kölln.

After Alternative for Germany collected 43.8 percent of the vote in the state election in Saxony-Anhalt this weekend, they need to form a coalition in order to govern.

Something that basically all parties have said no to.

No one wants to contribute to the AFD, which has been labeled by German security services as right-wing extremist and thus a danger to democracy, being able to take power in a state for the first time since World War II.

Except for BSW (Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht), a small left-wing populist party named after its founder himself.

Just over the threshold

The BSW just managed to get over the five percent threshold in this weekend's election, and has previously said that it could consider governing through an "expert government", where the state government would seek a majority on every single issue.

In addition, they have the same heart issue as the AFD: migration.

- It would be a very populist and extreme state government, says Ann-Kristin Kölln, professor of political science at the University of Gothenburg, specializing in European parties, about a coalition between the AFD and BSW.

She is doubtful whether it can become a reality:

- I have difficulty seeing what policy they would pursue. The only thing they can agree on, as far as I understand, is the migration issue. But that is not an issue for state politics.

“Everything is now in the hands of the AFD”

AFD leaders have not been as open to cooperation with BSW.

– Before the election, they said that they did not want to cooperate with anyone, and that they did not want to govern without an absolute majority. But they may have said that for tactical or strategic reasons, says Ann-Kristin Kölln.

How the party will act now is unclear.

There are also internal divisions about the way forward.

On the one hand, there are those who want to see new elections – with the hope that the party can get its own majority.

On the other hand, there are those who believe in a minority government, where support is sought from BSW, says Kölln.

Everything is now in the hands of the AFD, she notes.

– It is a completely new situation that we have never seen before. Since the AFD is also divided on the issue, the situation is very uncertain.

Facts

This is the AFD

Formed in 2013, it is a right-wing nationalist and anti-immigration party.

Regional parts of the AFD, including the organization in Saxony-Anhalt, have been classified as far-right by German security services.

The party wants to severely limit immigration, tighten asylum policy and transfer more power from the EU to the member states.

Ahead of the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, an election was held to change the school curriculum, with more “patriotic education” and less focus on Nazi crimes in Germany on the agenda.

The party is also very pro-Russia and wants Germany to stop supporting Ukraine in the war.

The AFD received just over 20 percent of the vote in the 2025 federal election, becoming the second largest party. Support is particularly strong in eastern Germany, which is generally poorer and has a tougher economy.

The other German parties have refused to form a government with the AfD, something that in German politics has been called a "firewall" (brandmauer) against the far right.