Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has described the strong performance of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt as a historic turning point for the country, saying the election result could signal major changes in German politics.
Commenting on the AfD’s success, Merkel said the country was experiencing a moment of profound political significance.
“This is a turning point, a real turning point that we are experiencing in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany,” Merkel said.
The former chancellor, who remains a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said she found the development particularly difficult to accept.
“As a member of the CDU, my heart is breaking — I have to say that honestly,” Merkel said.
Merkel also warned that Germany’s established political parties need to take the AfD’s growing influence on social media more seriously.
She argued that the party’s political strength cannot be assessed solely through traditional measures of political activity, emphasizing the growing importance of its digital presence and ability to reach voters online.
The former chancellor also addressed Germany’s so-called “Brandmauer,” the political firewall under which mainstream democratic parties refuse to cooperate with the far right, including the AfD, at any level of government.
Merkel said other parties should focus less directly on the AfD itself and instead communicate their own political goals and priorities more clearly to voters.
At the same time, she made clear that she does not support cooperation with the far-right party.
“That means I cannot have anything in common with this party,” Merkel said.
Merkel made the comments during a public discussion with researcher and journalist Miriam Meckel in Cologne, according to Der Spiegel.
Her remarks came after the AfD secured a decisive victory in regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, triggering renewed debate over the party’s growing influence and the future of Germany’s political landscape.
Thousands of people also gathered near Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate on Monday evening to protest against the AfD following its strong election performance.
The party’s rise is also being closely watched ahead of elections for the Berlin House of Representatives. Two months before the vote, the AfD, led in Berlin by Christine Brinker, had moved into first place in opinion polls for the first time.
Merkel’s intervention underscores the growing concern within Germany’s political establishment over the AfD’s electoral gains, while also highlighting the challenge facing mainstream parties: countering the far right without abandoning their own political priorities or the long-standing firewall against cooperation with the party.
