Barnaby Joyce distances One Nation from Germany's AfD after election surge

Barnaby Joyce has distanced One Nation from Germany's far-right AfD party after its landmark election victory in Saxony-Anhalt, where it won 44 percent of the vote, just three seats short of a majority. Joyce told News24 that One Nation is a "good, diligent and proper participant in the democratic process" and "not the AfD," citing Australia's history of fighting fascism and rejecting extremism. He also criticized the AfD's connections to Russia and Vladimir Putin. The AfD, founded in 2013, is anti-immigrant and Eurosceptic, and was investigated by German intelligence over extremist links, though surveillance was suspended in 2026. Joyce also expressed support for other European right-wing figures like Giorgia Meloni and Marine Le Pen.