AfD Victory in Saxony-Anhalt Exposes Rift Among France’s Far Right
World
The strong victory of Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt has exposed different approaches to the German party among France’s far right. Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella’s National Rally chose to distance itself, while Éric Zemmour’s Reconquête! openly welcomed the result.
AfD won 43.8% of the vote, well ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union, which secured 17.2%. Neither Le Pen nor Bardella publicly commented on the AfD victory.
National Rally MEP Pierre-Romain Thionnet said the result should not have come as a surprise, arguing that AfD had succeeded on issues ignored by mainstream parties, including “mass immigration, the loss of national identity, social and industrial decline.” He said the result reflected “the collapse of traditional parties in favor of political forces that truly express the aspirations of the peoples of Europe.”
At the same time, Thionnet stressed that the National Rally’s decision to “no longer be an ally of AfD” in the European Parliament remained “unchanged”. He cited the German party’s positions on historical and memorial issues, as well as serious differences over foreign policy.
Relations between the parties deteriorated ahead of the 2024 European Parliament elections following a series of controversies involving senior AfD figures. In May 2024, the Identity and Democracy group voted to expel AfD. The German party later helped establish the Europe of Sovereign Nations group.
Reconquête!, by contrast, openly backed the election result. MEP Sarah Knafo called it “historic”, while party leader Éric Zemmour described it as the “hour of truth”.
According to Sciences Po political science professor Gilles Ivaldi, Reconquête!’s strategy is much closer to AfD’s. He said the National Rally is softening its programme to normalize its image ahead of the 2027 presidential election, while Zemmour has chosen a more radical strategy.
National Rally MEP Pierre-Romain Thionnet said the result should not have come as a surprise, arguing that AfD had succeeded on issues ignored by mainstream parties, including “mass immigration, the loss of national identity, social and industrial decline.” He said the result reflected “the collapse of traditional parties in favor of political forces that truly express the aspirations of the peoples of Europe.”
At the same time, Thionnet stressed that the National Rally’s decision to “no longer be an ally of AfD” in the European Parliament remained “unchanged”. He cited the German party’s positions on historical and memorial issues, as well as serious differences over foreign policy.
Relations between the parties deteriorated ahead of the 2024 European Parliament elections following a series of controversies involving senior AfD figures. In May 2024, the Identity and Democracy group voted to expel AfD. The German party later helped establish the Europe of Sovereign Nations group.
Reconquête!, by contrast, openly backed the election result. MEP Sarah Knafo called it “historic”, while party leader Éric Zemmour described it as the “hour of truth”.
According to Sciences Po political science professor Gilles Ivaldi, Reconquête!’s strategy is much closer to AfD’s. He said the National Rally is softening its programme to normalize its image ahead of the 2027 presidential election, while Zemmour has chosen a more radical strategy.
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