Analysts: Far-right surge in Germany reflects a broader European trend
Following the AfD's breakthrough in Saxony-Anhalt's regional election, experts say Germany's case mirrors a wider rise of populist right-wing forces across Europe. They point to a series of crises that have eroded trust in mainstream parties.
Following the far-right AfD party's recent success in Germany's Saxony-Anhalt state election, international affairs experts caution against viewing the result as an isolated German phenomenon. The discussion, held on France 24, featured host Annette Young, the channel's international affairs editor Philip Turle, and Sylvie Bermann, France's first female ambassador to three permanent members of the UN Security Council — China, the United Kingdom and Russia.
Part of a wider shift
According to Bermann, the AfD's breakthrough should be understood as part of a broader transformation taking place across European politics, rather than as a standalone shock. She pointed to events such as Brexit and Donald Trump's election victories as having helped normalise political positions that were previously seen as outside the mainstream of governing politics.
Eroded trust amid crises
The panel emphasised that a series of successive economic and geopolitical crises has weakened public confidence in established, mainstream political parties across Europe. This erosion of trust, they suggested, is creating fertile ground for the rise of populist and far-right movements throughout the continent, not just in Germany.
