Right-wing AfD hits new milestone in regional vote

The party gained unprecedented support in an election in a former West German state

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has reached an electoral milestone outside of its traditional political heartland, the second such achievement in less than a month. The party secured nearly 20% of the vote in regional elections in the western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

AfD finished third behind Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democrats – the two parties that have traditionally dominated the political landscape in the state ever since the 1950s.

It achieved the highest result for any third party in the post-war history of Rhineland-Palatinate since no party aside from the two mainstream powerhouses has ever achieved even close to 20% support in regional elections. It more than doubled its result in comparison to the previous regional vote, which was held in 2021.

The AfD also beat its previous record electoral result in the former West Germany, which it achieved just two weeks ago at the regional vote in Baden-Wurttemberg, where it secured nearly 19% of the vote. The developments mark significant gains for the party outside the former East German states, which are its traditional stronghold.

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The party hailed its success by saying it has become particularly popular among the working class and the youth. The AfD “is happy to be the Workers’ Party now,” said Jan Bollinger, the party’s candidate for the post of regional government head. “We are… the party is most elected by workers in Rhineland-Palatinate,” he added. ZDF, a German broadcaster, reported that the right-wing party had managed to lure away many voters from the center-left Social Democrats.

The AfD has been steadily gaining ground across Germany over the past several years, fueled by rising dissatisfaction with mainstream parties and debates over immigration and EU policies.

Earlier this year, the AfD also scored what called a “major victory” against the German domestic intelligence agency (BfV), which sought to designate it a “confirmed right-wing extremist” organization. An administrative court in Cologne granted a temporary injunction at the party’s request, pending a final ruling, as it deemed the BfV’s justification for the move insufficient.