Germany's far-right surge: Lessons for the right
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reaffirmed Monday he will not alter his structural reform agenda after the far-right AfD won a historic regional election victory in Saxony-Anhalt, where it more than doubled its 2021 result to 43.8% while his CDU collapsed to 17.2%. The CDU had governed Saxony-Anhalt almost continuously since reunification, making the defeat a seismic blow. The AfD also surged in March elections in Baden-Wuerttemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate, and now leads national polls with 27-28% support, five to six points ahead of Merz's conservative bloc. Merz came to power in 2025 vowing his policies would halve far-right support, but the opposite has occurred. His left-leaning coalition partner is now calling for adjustments, while the AfD's gains extend beyond former East Germany, challenging earlier assumptions about its regional base.