Pro-democracy rallies erupt in Germany as AfD gains ground in state elections

Thousands of demonstrators assembled at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate on Sunday to voice opposition to the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) ahead of upcoming state elections in the capital and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Police counted about 5,000 participants, while organizers estimated the crowd at more than 14,000. Protesters carried signs condemning the party’s anti-immigration stance and calls for cuts to renewable-energy subsidies and public broadcasting.

The AfD secured roughly 44% of the vote in the Saxony-Anhalt election, its strongest result in a state election to date. The party fell short of an absolute majority but remains within striking distance of forming a government, according to its candidate Ulrich Siegmund. Domestic intelligence has classified the state chapter of the AfD as right-wing extremist.

Jens-Christian Wagner, director of the Buchenwald memorial, addressed the rally, describing the Saxony-Anhalt outcome as “a disgrace that makes you furious and stunned” and warning that the party’s rise should not be accepted silently.

The protests extended to other cities, including Potsdam, Münster, Göttingen, Dresden, Aachen, Bamberg, Darmstadt and Halberstadt. In Halle, activists have maintained a protest camp since the election day.

Polling ahead of the September 20 votes shows the AfD leading in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with about 35% support, while the Social Democratic Party (SPD) of state premier Manuela Schwesig has risen above 30%. In Berlin, the CDU-SPD coalition holds a narrow lead, with the CDU at roughly 20% and the Linke, AfD, SPD and Greens trailing in the mid-teens.

Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz has pledged to remain in office and pursue a reform agenda, arguing that economic revitalisation is essential to counter the AfD’s advance. The SPD, its junior coalition partner, has signalled a willingness to modify unpopular measures to preserve the government’s stability.