“The suspicion of Russian money involvement is also present,” stated the Social Democratic Party’s minister, SPD. “It is obvious this must not occur,” added Pistorius.
In the February 2025 national election, AfD secured second place with 20.8 percent of the vote, marking the best performance by a far-right party since World War II. Two eastern states, Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, are set to hold elections in September.
According to German media, AfD sees its best chance for power soon in Saxony-Anhalt, where it might win a majority and form a state government for the first time, which would be a significant development in Germany.
Germany’s federal system grants wide powers to the 16 state governments, including some intelligence service activities.
The potential of AfD winning an absolute majority in Saxony-Anhalt is cause for “utmost concern,” said Pistorius. The AfD “leaves no doubt about its intentions for our democracy. Therefore, this would be a very, very bad sign. We must be prepared to deal with this even more decisively and counter it,” he added.
Big wins in the September elections would strengthen AfD’s hold over eastern Germany and fuel the debate over whether Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives can maintain the “firewall” preventing the far right from federal government access.
However, the AfD faces ongoing scandals. An image, obtained by POLITICO’s Inside AfD podcast, seems to show Martin Reichardt, an AfD federal parliament member, raising his left arm while smiling during a gathering six years ago.
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