AfD's Historic Win in Saxony-Anhalt Alarms Brussels and Europe

Germany's far-right AfD party won a landslide victory in the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, doubling its support while Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives lost half their voters, marking the first far-right election win in Germany since World War II. The result has alarmed Brussels and European capitals because the AfD is Russia-friendly and EU-skeptic, and Germany is a major funder of the EU budget and aid to Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that only "idiots or traitors" would celebrate the AfD's triumph. The far-right's success could boost similar parties across Europe, including Austria's FPÖ and France's National Rally, complicating upcoming negotiations on the EU's next trillion-euro long-term budget, which requires unanimous agreement among member states.