Hard Right spectre looms over the EU: SUE REID investigates how anti-immigration parties stormed from the fringes and are now poised to take power for the first time since the Nazi era
A nationalist, anti-immigration party is on course to win state elections in the German city of Magdeburg, marking what would be the first time such a force has taken power in Germany since the Nazi era ended in 1945. Final polls put Alternative for Germany (AfD) on 41 per cent in Saxony-Anhalt, and the party's rise reflects a broader shift across Europe, where more than half of the EU's 27 member states are now governed or influenced by right-wing, anti-immigration parties.
Analysts trace AfD's surge to the 2015 decision by then-Chancellor Angela Merkel to admit roughly 1.3 million migrants, many fleeing Syria's war, under her "We can do it" policy; the AfD, founded 13 years ago as a fringe outfit, now holds 152 of 630 Bundestag seats and leads national polls. Its support has been reinforced by local tragedies, including a 2016 gang rape by three Afghan men and a 2024 Christmas market car attack in Magdeburg that killed six people, including a child. Mainstream parties, notably Angela Merkel's former CDU, are attempting a "firewall" strategy of refusing to cooperate with the AfD, but experts doubt this will prevent the party from gaining power, with younger voters particularly drawn to its social media messaging and calls to deport illegal migrants.
In short
- AfD poised to win Magdeburg state election with 41% support
- First far-right regional win in Germany since Nazi era
- Merkel's 2015 migrant policy blamed for fuelling AfD's rise
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters of the AfD’s rise argue that voters are entitled to demand tighter immigration controls and to hold established parties accountable for policies they believe have strained public services, weakened security or ignored local concerns. They see the party’s electoral gains as a democratic response to those concerns, and argue that excluding it from cooperation risks dismissing its voters and further eroding trust in mainstream politics.
The case against
Critics argue that the AfD’s nationalist and anti-immigration programme risks stigmatising migrants and minorities, while its growing influence may weaken liberal democratic norms and Germany’s post-war commitment to resist far-right politics. They contend that mainstream parties should address legitimate concerns about migration and security without normalising the AfD or giving it greater power, and that a firewall can signal those boundaries.
Explained simply
Germany is a federal country, so state governments make decisions alongside the national government in Berlin. Saxony-Anhalt is a state in eastern Germany, and its capital is Magdeburg. The Alternative for Germany, or AfD, was founded in 2013 and campaigns for tighter immigration controls and German nationalism.
The party’s support grew after Germany admitted large numbers of migrants in 2015, many fleeing war in Syria. Public debate about immigration has also been shaped by violent crimes, including attacks in Magdeburg. Across Europe, parties that call for tighter immigration policies have gained influence in several countries.
Germany’s established parties have tried to keep the AfD out of government by refusing to work with it, a policy often called a “firewall”. The debate matters because it concerns how Germany handles immigration and whether long-standing political parties will cooperate with the AfD.