The results of Sunday’s election in Saxony-Anhalt, a state in eastern Germany, were described by Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez as a warning about the growing strength of the far right in Europe and worldwide.
Speaking at an interparliamentary meeting organized by the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) on Monday, Sánchez said the results in the state were not merely an electoral snapshot but pointed to a broader political transformation.
The AfD’s vote share reached 44 percent
Alternative for Germany (AfD) won around 44 percent of the vote in the Saxony-Anhalt election. This means the party more than doubled its vote share compared with the previous state election in 2021.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union, meanwhile, received around 17 percent of the vote and fell behind the AfD.
Sánchez defended the progressive coalition
Sánchez said far-right forces operating in Europe and on the other side of the Atlantic were targeting Spain. He argued that these criticisms were linked to the progressive government policies he said had been pursued in the country for eight years.
Presenting Spain as an alternative to far-right politics, Sánchez said these movements pursued a politics of “hate,” while his country represented progress.
Sánchez said Spain’s progressive coalition government was more necessary than ever. He stated that the government was leading policies aimed at supporting economic growth and employment, strengthening the welfare state, and responding fairly to the digital and ecological transitions.