Merkel reacts to AfD's Saxony-Anhalt victory: A real turning point for Germany

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has made striking remarks regarding the election success achieved by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Speaking at an event on artificial intelligence, Merkel, a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), stated that the election result cannot be viewed as a normal development for German politics. Expressing that the result deeply shook her, Merkel said, "It is a turning point in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany, a real turning point. To say something a bit more emotional, as a CDU member, my heart is bleeding, I really have to say that."

Merkel called on democratic parties to establish more direct contact with voters. Pointing to the large audience the AfD has reached, particularly on social media platforms, the former chancellor emphasized that traditional political communication methods are no longer sufficient on their own.

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Stating that the AfD has achieved strong visibility on platforms like TikTok, Merkel said that democratic parties cannot ignore this space. "We must face this and meet people where they are," Merkel said.

Expressing that it is no longer possible to reach all voters through traditional public broadcasting, Merkel also touched upon the importance of public television. The former chancellor argued that the AfD wants to abolish public broadcasting.

Merkel also stated that she does not have a definitive prescription against the rise of the AfD. However, noting that it is no longer sufficient for political parties to address all voters with the same slogan, Merkel remarked that voters are creating their own information worlds and that candidates must be better prepared accordingly.

The AfD finished first in the state parliament elections held in Saxony-Anhalt on September 6 with 43.8 percent of the vote. However, the party failed to reach the majority required to form a government alone. The CDU fell to second place with 17.2 percent, losing 19.9 points compared to 2021. While the Social Democratic Party (SPD) came in third with 9.3 percent of the vote, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) qualified to enter parliament with 5.3 percent.

According to assessments in the German media, parties other than the BSW are not keen on forming a government with the AfD. For this reason, there are comments that a government formula supported from the outside by the AfD could come to the agenda in the state.