Essayist Alexander Grau: “Saying that those who vote for Alternative für Deutschland are not Christian will not win back those who have chosen the far right”. The risks and prospects following the triumph in Saxony-Anhalt

“Ukraine’s resistance? True patriotism. The economy? We’re on the right track. A federal Europe? I disagree with Draghi. The AfD? There’s no need for restrictions. Anti-Semitism? We’re absolutely clear on this.” No alliance with those who vote against Kyiv? “I’m not prepared to do the opposite of what I’ve done so far.” The head of government speaks

“Saxony-Anhalt is almost a ‘textbook example, in one of the economically weakest federal states, of how industry acts as a bulwark of democracy’,” says the vice-president of Confindustria

It’s not just the Lega and Forza Italia: the electoral success of the German nationalist party is also dividing European conservatives. Orbán, Wilders and Zemmour are celebrating, whilst Le Pen, Bardella and Farage remain silent

Weidel, her Sri Lankan partner and her PhD in Bayreuth; the TikToker, the ‘Prussian Muslim’, the Putin nostalgist. The AfD defies old categories: perhaps simply labelling it ‘far right’ is not enough to understand its success

The leader of Futuro Nazionale issues military-style communiqués, purges dissidents and trains police officers. However, in the European Parliament, he has never risen above the role of a bit-part player.

Recurring analyses suggest that it was men, manual workers, the poor and those with low levels of education who boosted the far-right vote in Saxony-Anhalt. It may well be that they have all become Nazis, but this is probably due to a lack of alternatives. And this is not just the case in Germany