The AfD’s rise is thus putting other European right-wing parties in a dilemma: supporting it could bring them closer to a growing political force, but cooperation could also create political costs for parties trying to move away from the image of extremism and closer to the ruling power.
The German Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is gaining more and more support at home, but its rise is also creating dilemmas among other right-wing parties in Europe. In the recent elections in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD received 43.8% of the vote, marking its highest result at this level. The party was only three seats away from an absolute majority. Elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin also showed an increase in support for parties at the ends of the political spectrum, especially for the AfD. Several leaders of European right-wing parties have welcomed the result. Among them are Geert Wilders in the Netherlands, Viktor Orbán in Hungary and Santiago Abascal in Spain. Abascal described the AfD’s advance as a great hope for Germany and Europe.
But major right-wing parties in France, Italy and Britain have kept their distance. In France, the National Rally (RN) has made it clear that it has no plans to resume cooperation with the AfD. The French party has worked for years to change its image and move closer to the political center, distancing itself from some of the more radical positions and statements of the past.
Relations between the two parties deteriorated particularly after several statements by AfD figures about the Nazi period and after reports of a plan that envisaged the mass removal of people of foreign origin from Germany. The RN considered these positions incompatible with the course that the French party itself has followed and in 2024 terminated cooperation with the AfD. Italy has also maintained a reserved position. The Brothers of Italy party, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is part of the European Conservatives and Reformists group, closer to the main structures of the European Parliament. Meanwhile, the AfD is in a more isolated group.
Another strong point of disagreement is foreign policy. Meloni supports NATO and Ukraine, while the AfD opposes sending weapons to Ukraine and calls for the lifting of sanctions against Russia. Meloni has described these differences as irreconcilable.
The leader of Reform UK in Britain, Nigel Farage, has also expressed reservations about the AfD. He has described the German party as a mix of positions and has particularly criticized its approach to Russia and Vladimir Putin. The AfD’s policy towards Russia and Ukraine is one of the main reasons why the party has struggled to form lasting alliances with some of Europe’s other right-wing parties. Within the AfD, there are differing positions on Germany’s relations with Russia and the United States, and the party opposes some aid to Ukraine.
The AfD has also had controversial ties to Russia, China and Donald Trump’s political movement in the US. Trump has welcomed the AfD’s result in Saxony-Anhalt, while Elon Musk has publicly expressed support for the party.
However, the rise of the AfD does not automatically mean that it will have an immediate impact on German foreign policy. Many of these decisions depend on the federal government in Berlin and the country’s constitutional institutions. The AfD’s strengthening is thus putting other European right-wing parties in a dilemma: supporting it could bring them closer to a growing political force, but cooperation could also create political costs for parties trying to move away from the image of extremism and closer to the ruling power.