The AfD has achieved a historic result in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, winning 44.5 percent of the vote.
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Behind this victory, which has shaken German politics, is 35-year-old Ulrich Siegmund, who has managed to present a more moderate image of one of the party’s most radical factions. He appears as an optimistic politician who is close to citizens and highly active on social media platforms, unlike the harsh rhetoric often associated with the AfD.
His popularity online is extraordinary: Siegmund is followed by 680,000 people on Instagram and 800,000 on TikTok. His rallies draw large crowds, while supporters wait for hours to take a photograph with him. Despite this moderate image, analysts assess that the program he represents is extremely radical.
German intelligence services have classified as extremist the AfD branch that Siegmund leads in Saxony-Anhalt. Its manifesto includes a broad policy of “remigration,” meaning the removal of migrants, and is considered the most radical program ever drafted in the country.
Among other proposals, the document calls for the creation of “special classes” for children of asylum seekers, on the grounds that they are staying in Germany only temporarily. Under this idea, German children would be “spared” from being together “with entirely foreign cultures.” The manifesto also calls for the segregation of people with disabilities, claiming that they “hinder the progress of education.”
Siegmund explains these positions in calm and positive language, while presenting the term “remigration” as a completely normal expression. He has also shown that he knows how to turn criticism to his political advantage. After Der Spiegel called him “Germany’s most dangerous man,” he began signing copies of the magazine’s cover and handing them out to supporters himself, turning the attack into a campaign symbol.
The result of 44.5 percent gives the AfD a theoretical opportunity to take charge of Saxony-Anhalt. If this were to happen, it would be a historic precedent for the far right in postwar Germany.
