Ninth night of the US-Iran war: third US soldier dead, tanker ablaze in HormuzUkraine war: more than 400 drones on the Moscow region, Russia shells KyivPutin receives North Korea's foreign minister and thanks her for wartime supportAfter Spahn's resignation: conservative bloc seeks parliamentary leader, Merz mulls cabinet reshuffleAndy Burnham becomes British prime ministerHungary: Magyar wants chess legend Judit Polgar as presidentNetanyahu attacks New York mayor Mamdani after arrest threatThousands of Israelis march to the Gaza border and demand new settlementsTaiwan reports more Chinese ships, concern over Pacific supply routesOil above 90 dollars: Iran war weighs on currencies and stock marketsStudy: electric cars significantly cheaper since 2020, combustion engines slightly pricierEarnings in Germany rose 5.1 percent in 2025Europe's rearmament: raw-material dependence and dispute over the fighter-jet legacyChina's luxury tax and price pressure hurt German carmakersChina's AI offensive: IPOs, robots and maxed-out data centersAI skepticism on the markets: investors seek new favorites, chip worries growNinth night of the US-Iran war: third US soldier dead, tanker ablaze in HormuzUkraine war: more than 400 drones on the Moscow region, Russia shells KyivPutin receives North Korea's foreign minister and thanks her for wartime supportAfter Spahn's resignation: conservative bloc seeks parliamentary leader, Merz mulls cabinet reshuffleAndy Burnham becomes British prime ministerHungary: Magyar wants chess legend Judit Polgar as presidentNetanyahu attacks New York mayor Mamdani after arrest threatThousands of Israelis march to the Gaza border and demand new settlementsTaiwan reports more Chinese ships, concern over Pacific supply routesOil above 90 dollars: Iran war weighs on currencies and stock marketsStudy: electric cars significantly cheaper since 2020, combustion engines slightly pricierEarnings in Germany rose 5.1 percent in 2025Europe's rearmament: raw-material dependence and dispute over the fighter-jet legacyChina's luxury tax and price pressure hurt German carmakersChina's AI offensive: IPOs, robots and maxed-out data centersAI skepticism on the markets: investors seek new favorites, chip worries grow
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AfD

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The Alternative for Germany (AfD) was founded in 2013 in the context of the European sovereign-debt and euro crisis as an initially eurosceptic, market-liberal party. In the following years the party underwent a marked shift to the right, in the course of which figures such as the Thuringian state leader Bjoern Hoecke and the now officially dissolved wing he helped to shape gained influence. The domestic intelligence service classified the wing as confirmed right-wing extremist in 2020 and in May 2025 assessed the party as a whole as a confirmed right-wing extremist endeavour. The AfD is particularly strongly anchored in eastern Germany, where it has risen to become the strongest political force in Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg, among others.

Wikipedia: Alternative für Deutschlandbpb: Etappen der Parteigeschichte der AfDbpb: Wahlergebnisse und Wählerschaft der AfD

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Sunday, 19 July 2026Geopolitics

AfD launches its Saxony-Anhalt campaign with confidence

The AfD opened its campaign for the Saxony-Anhalt state election in Magdeburg; lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund was already talking about a term as state premier. In the polls the party widened its lead over the CDU/CSU again. Hundreds demonstrated against the event.

Around 50 days before the Saxony-Anhalt state election, the AfD celebrated itself as the election winner at its campaign launch in Magdeburg, according to Welt; lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund spoke of „45 percent plus X“ and his first official act as a possible state premier. Party leader Alice Weidel sharply attacked the federal government and described the simultaneous resignation of Jens Spahn as overdue. The left-liberal Sueddeutsche Zeitung turns its attention to an internal power struggle behind Weidel's laboured good cheer. Die Zeit and the Berliner Zeitung highlight the hundreds of counter-demonstrators at the exhibition grounds. Across the camps, the election is regarded as a mood test; what is disputed is whether the AfD can translate its poll ratings into governing power, while the domestic intelligence service classifies the party as confirmed right-wing extremist.

Die WeltSüddeutsche ZeitungDie ZeitBerliner Zeitung