AfD Thanks Musk After Historic German State Election Win

The Alternative für Deutschland party has secured a landmark victory in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, positioning itself potentially as the first far-right party to hold state-level power in Germany since World War II — and its lead candidate has directly credited Elon Musk with helping build momentum for the result.

Musk's Endorsement and AfD's Public Gratitude

Following the projected result on Sunday night, AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund took to X to personally thank Musk for his "clear and highly important perspective" on European political developments, expressing hope for "strong and constructive cooperation" going forward. The message came shortly after Musk posted "Well done!" in German to AfD co-founder Alice Weidel in response to her announcement of the projected win.

Musk's political commentary on X has increasingly drawn scrutiny across Western capitals. His platform has become a significant amplifier for European nationalist movements, a pattern that raises questions about the reach of his digital influence well beyond tech circles — a dynamic previously noted in coverage of X Money Launches in the US, Pushing Musk's 'Everything App' Vision Forward.

The Election Results in Detail

According to The Guardian World, AfD captured 43.8% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt — more than double its 2020 result in a region of approximately 2.1 million people. Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union came in a distant second at 17.2%, roughly half its previous showing, while the Social Democrats, Greens, and Left party each polled between 8.6% and 9.3%.

Despite the commanding margin of victory, AfD fell three seats short of the absolute majority it needed to govern alone in the 83-seat state legislature — finishing with 39 lawmakers. The party had sought a standalone majority precisely to sidestep the informal agreement among mainstream parties not to cooperate with AfD, commonly referred to as the "firewall." With that threshold unmet, and AfD having ruled out entering a coalition, the path to forming a government remains unresolved.

European Alarm Bells

The result prompted sharp reactions across Europe. France's Europe minister, Benjamin Haddad, called it "a serious moment" for the continent, cautioning that nationalism and xenophobia offer no real solutions while urging leaders to genuinely address the anxieties driving voters. "We cannot forget our history," Haddad said, referencing the shared European imperative to guard against democratic backsliding.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was more blunt, stating that only "idiots or traitors" in Poland could celebrate AfD's rise.

The reaction also had transatlantic dimensions. U.S. President Donald Trump shared a screenshot of the election projection on Truth Social without comment, and Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev quickly amplified Trump's post, hailing what he called a "historic win for the pragmatic AfD" — a description consistent with AfD's pro-Kremlin posture on Ukraine policy.

Economic and Security Concerns

Analysts are flagging serious downstream risks. The German Economic Institute warned that AfD's immigration restrictions would be "calamitous" for Saxony-Anhalt, a state already grappling with an ageing, shrinking population that depends heavily on foreign labor to sustain its economy.

Security officials have raised a separate concern: an AfD-governed state, given the party's sympathies toward Moscow, could represent a vulnerability for sensitive intelligence. The AfD has rejected those characterizations and indicated it would move to overhaul the domestic intelligence service, which it claims is politically biased.

Musk's growing entanglement in European political outcomes adds another dimension to scrutiny of his broader influence — scrutiny that has followed him from boardrooms to courtrooms, as seen in developments like the Judge Approves Musk's $1.5M SEC Settlement Despite 'Significant Misgivings'. Whether his endorsements translate into durable political capital for far-right parties across Europe is a question that will only sharpen as continental elections approach.

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