What is the AfD and what could their victory mean for Germany and Europe? | BBC News

"Seismic", "a socio-political earthquake", "a watershed moment for Germany".

This was how political analysts and many media outlets described the stunning victory of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in local elections in Germany on Sunday. Is that an exaggeration?

Saxony-Anhalt is one of the smallest of massive Germany's 16 regions. It boasts a mere 1.7 million out of 59 million eligible voters nationwide.

How significant can its political sentiments be, especially since the AfD narrowly failed to win an outright majority?

The answer: Very significant.

In this video:

0:00 - 0:48 - Historic victory for the AfD
0:48 - 1:31 - Reaction from the AfD party
1:31 - 2:09 - How surprising is the far-right victory?
2:09 - 2:46 - The AfD and some of their policies
2:46 - 3:40 - People are searching "are AfD Nazis?"
3:40 - 4:31 - Historically the main parties have blocked the far-right, it's called a "firewall"
4:31 - 5:34 - Will the AfD be able to govern?
5:34 - 6:23 - Reaction from European politicians
6:23 - 7:39 - What does this election result mean for Europe?
7:39 - 8:42 - Reaction to the far-right result from US and Russia
8:42 - 9:16 - What could this result mean for Ukraine?

Subscribe to our channel here: https://bbc.in/bbcnews

For the latest news download the BBC News app or visit BBC.com/news

#Germany #Europe #BBCNews