Merz Doubts AfD Ban After Landslide Loss

Merz argued the party should be beaten politically, not outlawed. "I do not believe that banning this party would solve the problem," he said, per Reuters. "The priority in dealing with the AfD must lie in political confrontation with the party and in trying to win its voters back to the political centre." He also accused the AfD of endangering German prosperity: "Anyone who questions Germany's membership of the European Union, who wants to leave the European Union, the euro and the Schengen area, is putting a considerable part of our country's prosperity at risk."

Wüst, who has repeatedly called the AfD a "Nazi party," wants a formal review first. "I said something today, but I don't think any CDU member has said it publicly yet: That I am in favor of appointing this working group, which will then do this work," he said, per Remix News. He added: "If, after an examination, the following is on the table: This party can be banned, then this ban procedure must be initiated. For me, that's relatively clear. But step by step." He said the group should "not operate with the politically predetermined goal" — the outcome "could be a ban, that could also be something else."

Merz has previously said a ban "smacks too much of the elimination of political rivals," Remix News reported.

German commentators are split on what the result means. Martin Machowecz wrote in Die Zeit that it is a "moment where everything must be different," urging parties to drop the "defensive alliance" against the far right for "recognizable political projects" and "credible answers." Grégoire Roos of Chatham House called Saxony-Anhalt a "useful laboratory" for understanding shifting rural and generational views. Susanne Schwarzbach of Deutschlandfunk said Germany needs a "compelling vision for the future" rather than "old buzzwords... firewall, right-wing extremists, bans," calling the result "a mandate to work to strengthen our democracy."

American outlets read it along familiar lines. Truthout called the AfD a "fascist party" and the win "an ominous coup for the far right." The American Conservative said the result shows the party "has become a serious political alternative" and is accelerating the decline of Germany's mainstream conservatives. The New York Times reported the AfD has gained ground with messaging that mirrors positions extolled by the Kremlin.