How Will the Far-right AfD's Electoral Rise Impact Germany? | Inside Story

Sep 7, 2026 | The Alternative for Germany is on top in Sunday's election in the east German state of Saxony-Anhalt, with about 44 percent of the vote. It's benefited from voters' economic concerns and anger over immigration. The party is also leading in national polls. But Germany's domestic intelligence agency has classified its branch in Saxony-Anhalt as a proven right-wing extremist group, a label the AfD rejects. Chancellor Friedrich Merz insists there can be no co-operation with the AfD, and mainstream German parties have been maintaining a 'firewall' against forming coalitions with the far-right. But it's not clear if the strategy will hold.

Presenter: Rishaad Salamat

Guests:

Olaf Boehnke - Berlin Director of the political consultancy Rasmussen Global and former Senior Advisor in the German Bundestag
Max Otte - Founder of Privatinvestor Capital and a 2022 German presidential candidate
Ulrich Brueckner - Professor of European Studies at Stanford University in Berlin