Far-right AfD Confirms Strong Support Base
in Former East German Regions
In the German federal parliamentary election, the 'far-right' Alternative for Germany (AfD) party swept the votes in the former East German regions, achieving a landslide victory. Elon Musk, the world's richest person and CEO of Tesla, who has openly supported far-right forces while observing European politics, also sent congratulations to the AfD leader.
According to the German Federal Election Commission on the 23rd (local time), AfD secured the most votes, surpassing the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), in all five former East German states: Thuringia (38.6%), Saxony (37.3%), Saxony-Anhalt (37.1%), Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (35.0%), and Brandenburg (32.5%).
AfD ranked first in 45 out of 48 constituencies in these regions. It only lost first place in constituencies where prominent politicians such as Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Social Democratic Party, SPD) and Bodo Ramelow, former Thuringia state premier (The Left), were present. In this election, AfD's nationwide vote share doubled from 10.4% in the previous election to 20.8%.
Since its founding in 2013, the far-right AfD has risen to become the second-largest party in just 12 years. Analysts suggest that AfD's far-right populist policies, emphasizing anti-immigration and anti-European Union (EU) sentiments, have been effective, especially in the economically lagging former East German regions compared to West Germany. Notably, in this election, AfD also ranked first for the first time in two former West German constituencies, Gelsenkirchen and Kaiserslautern, further expanding its support base.
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel stated, "We have now firmly established ourselves as a people's party" and added, "We are ready to participate in a coalition government." However, other parties in Germany are refusing to cooperate with AfD, making it highly unlikely that AfD will join a coalition.
Weidel also revealed that she received a congratulatory message from CEO Musk, known as the 'First Buddy,' who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Donald Trump administration.
According to The Guardian, Weidel told reporters immediately after the election results were announced that when asked if she had been contacted by Musk, "This morning when I turned on my phone, there were calls and messages from the United States, including one from Elon Musk," adding, "There were also personal words of congratulations."
CEO Musk has shown overt support for the far-right by appearing via video at AfD rallies ahead of the election. This led to public criticism from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Previously, former President Trump also commented on the expected rise of far-right parties in the German federal election on his social media, calling it a "great day" for both Germany and the United States.
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