Germany’s anti-Russia stance helped drive AfD election victory – expert

The far-right, anti-immigration party has won a crucial state election in Saxony-Anhalt with 43.8% of the vote The German government’s increasingly hostile stance toward Russia, mounting economic problems, and concerns over migration have helped propel the Alternative for Germany (AfD) to a historic election victory in Saxony-Anhalt, Professor Vladislav Belov, head of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Center for German Studies, has told RT.The AfD won 43.8% of the vote, more than doubling its result from the previous state election, according to official preliminary results. It is set to hold 39 of the state parliament’s 97 seats, falling short of the 49 required for an absolute majority.Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which has led Saxony-Anhalt’s coalition government since 2021, finished a distant second with 17.2% and 15 seats. Sven Schulze, the party’s lead candidate and outgoing regional head, conceded defeat and congratulated the AfD on its success.Speaking shortly after polls closed on Sunday, Belov recalled his earlier assessment that the anti-Russian positions adopted by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Interior Minister Alexander Do...