A record turnout in the Saxony-Anhalt state elections and a record showing for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), with almost 44% of the vote. The party, classified as right-wing extremist by the state's constitutional protection service, may have fallen short of an absolute majority, but was, as expected, the clear winner of the night. The result has drawn many reactions in Luxembourg.
For Luxembourg Prime Minister Luc Frieden, when extremists come out on top, that is something he will always lament, he said in a first response. Extremism, in his view, was never a solution to the problems facing a society. Extremists tends to serve up easy answers that ultimately fail to move a country forward. He would hope, he added, that the political centre could still come up with solutions that a large share of the population would see as reasonable.
Luxembourg Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel struck a similar note. The result, he said, should be treated as a warning, and one should be aware of the fact that some voters may be disillusioned. People had concerns and questions, and populists offered simple answers that could not be delivered in practice. Almost 44% of the vote, the Democratic Party minister was quick to point out, also meant that a large majority still did not want the AfD.
Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR) MP Tom Weidig has been following the election campaign on the ground in recent days. He wanted to form his own view, he said. He described the political "Brandmauer" or "firewall" around the AfD as a "big mistake". Such a firewall, he argued, made citizens feel that others were not listening to them, and was ultimately counterproductive.
Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) MP Taina Bofferding warned on social media of an "attack on our values of solidarity". The far right, in her view, was not only attacking democratic institutions, but was also calling into question women's rights, equality, LGBTIQ+ rights, diversity and a solidarity-based Europe.
Déi gréng (Green) MP Sam Tanson called the result "terrifying". It showed, she said, how much trust in the democratic parties had been lost. The task now, in her view, was to win that trust back.
For Sven Clement of the Piratepartei (Pirate Party), politicians should not be surprised "if people cast their votes elsewhere". Politics, he argued, "had not learned the lesson". Politicians were too attached to their own ideologies and were failing to solve the people's problems.
