The former president of the Generalitat, Carles Puigdemont, has reacted to the electoral triumph of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the regional elections of Saxony-Anhalt, which he has described as a "tragedy." "I feel sorry for Germany and for Europe," he stated.
"The indisputable victory of the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt is the result of a long chain of irresponsibilities in which everyone has a part of the blame. The news seems to me a tragedy," Puigdemont expressed this Sunday in a message published on the social network X and disseminated by Europa Press.
The Catalan leader has spoken out after the AfD has prevailed in the regional elections held in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, although without reaching the necessary support to govern alone, which forces the exploration of an executive supported by the rest of the political forces.
For the former president, the background of the AfD's victory is "the substitution of democracy for a post-democratic model with less deliberation, more authoritarianism, and more social violence; which seems to be much more effective in managing problems without having to worry about minorities, dissidents, fundamental rights, and other 'obstacles' that hinder progress."
"The Chinese model, the model of Trump, that of Putin, but also that of those democratic governments that in recent years have hardened their legislation on national security to allow authoritarian practices and contrary to the rule of law; that have neglected democratic values and have hierarchically placed them below the business interest they make precisely with countries governed by autocrats and criminals," he added.
"WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN SAXONY-ANHALT IS A VERY SERIOUS WARNING"
In this line, he warned that what happened in Saxony-Anhalt constitutes "a very serious warning," not only for the "deep setback" that, in his view, the parties and institutions have just suffered, but for "the very idea of democracy, which after providing decades of peace and prosperity to millions of Europeans is the object of a calculated strategy to overthrow it, precisely now that it shows symptoms of fatigue and in which a regeneration based on its principles, on its foundational roots, is needed."
Puigdemont has questioned the ethics of AfD, warning that, "if it has any," it is an ethics that "openly questions" the very notion of democracy. He has also pointed out that he feels no "pity" for the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which has been relegated to second place, claiming that "they have shown that democratic principles have been greatly lacking and have preferred to be lackeys of the Spanish post-Francoism of the PP rather than listen to the plea of millions of European democrats from Catalonia."
"I feel pity for Germany, which is a country I love and admire, and for Europe, which is a project worth fighting for always, in good times and in bad," he emphasized.
The CDU collapses while AfD nears an absolute majority
According to the latest real vote projection prepared by Infratest Dimap for the German public broadcaster ARD, AfD would have obtained around 44% of the votes, which would grant it 39 seats, a figure still below the 42 seats necessary to secure an absolute majority in the regional Parliament.
The conservative CDU would come in second place with 17.8% support, that is, 19.3 points less than in the previous election, which would translate into about 16 deputies.
In third place would be the historic Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and The Left, tied with around 9% of the votes and 8 seats each. Next would be the Greens, with 8.7% and also 8 representatives, while in sixth place would appear the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), with 5.1%, ahead of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which would remain at 2.4%. The minimum threshold to achieve parliamentary representation is set at 5%.
Voter turnout has become another highlighted statistic of the election day, reaching 80%, well above the 60.3% recorded in the 2021 regional elections.