Germany's far-right surge: Is Merz failing democracy's last defense?

Germany's far-right AfD party won nearly 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt's state election, threatening to form its first extremist government since the Nazi era and severely weakening Chancellor Friedrich Merz's center-right coalition. The result has triggered panic among mainstream politicians, with critics calling Merz, a former BlackRock executive, the wrong leader for this crisis. He faces further electoral tests in two more state polls later this month, and his survival until the 2029 federal election is now uncertain. Former Chancellor Angela Merkel publicly criticized Merz's hardline migration rhetoric, while analysts note the AfD has expanded beyond its eastern stronghold by pivoting to issues like deindustrialization and crime. The "firewall" strategy of excluding the party has widely failed, though no clear successor has emerged to replace Merz.