The extremist German AfD has won a major political victory

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 9.9.2026 UPDATED

Incisive DW look at the folks who live in Saxony-Anholt

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This is so depressing. All morning and now into the evening I have been following the election returns from Germany in the State of Saxony-Anhalt – Wikipedia where the Alternative for Germany – Wikipedia has won a major victory. Gathering 44 percent of the vote. 2026 Saxony-Anhalt state election – Wikipedia

Not enough to take over political power of this state with 2.3M people in the former East Germany – Wikipedia. But definitely sending a grim dispiriting message to the rest of the World. This extreme Right MAGA like surge is not going to end anytime soon. I remember visiting Germany in 2017 and seeing a STOPPT AFD poster. I took a photo and have used it countless times in my blog.

**STOPPT DIE AFD – Lubeck, Germany May 2017 –** Photo Lee Heidhues

It’s incredible to know that 93 years after the Nazis took power in January 1933 this type of extreme reactionary, racist, anti-immigration party is now so powerful.

I watch the coverage on Deutsche Welle and the correspondents make only brief mention of the political transformation of the Saxony-Anhalt population. A now older generation raised in the totalitarian intolerant Russian governed East Germany. A subjugated population in a police state which was probably, actually, definitely not exposed to multi-culturalism and an influx of immigration and people from different countries. So, when the Wall fell in late 1989 and the open society of the West began to impact the now former East Germany there was a lot of resentment and fear.

That’s what our host Stefan, who owned the Tiergarten Hotel in Berlin, told us in 2017. He is from East Berlin and encouraged Liz and me to visit the former East Berlin and tour the Stasi Museum. Stasi – Wikipedia Stefan told us East Berlin in 2017 looked nearly the same as it did when it was part of East Germany. Old, boring architecture and quiet streets.

Stasi Museum, East Berlin

The Stasimuseum (also known in German as the Forschungs- und Gedenkstätte Normannenstraße)^[2] is a research and memorial centre concerning the political system of the former East Germany. It is located in the Lichtenberg locality of Berlin, in the former headquarters of the Stasi (officially the Ministerium für Staatssicherheit), on Ruschestraße, near Frankfurter Allee and U-Bahn station Magdalenenstraße. Stasimuseum – Wikipedia

**Liz walking to the Stasi Museum –**Photo Lee Heidhues

I wonder what Marion thinks of all this. I’m sure she is shocked. After all Marion is definitely the leftist German native who was the reason we went to Germany in in 2017. Then returned in 2018 and 2023. I will always remember our night with Marion at the Women’s Center in Hamburg. The women were East German born. They told us the East German regime guaranteed education, housing, health care and jobs. But there was a price to pay.

Living in a totalitarian Stasi run state. When the Wall came down in 1989 and the West German ways took over the country the resentment surfaced. Here we are 37 years later and the AfD has been spawned and is now on the precipice of power. It is incredible. I am just totally transfixed and appalled by all of this. The surge of right wing populism continues to grow. I’m sure Trump loves all of it as his MAGA movement continues to steamroll its way forward!!!