# Firewall compromised: has Friedrich Merz blown ‘democracy’s last shot’?

https://mins.news/en/item/55496

- The Guardian, 2026-09-12 04:00 UTC
- Politics
- Original: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/12/friedrich-merz-far-right-firewall-afd-germany-future

> German commentators reacted with doom and panic after the far-right Alternative für Deutschland won nearly 44% in Saxony-Anhalt, falling three seats short of an absolute majority. The party is seeking support to form Germany’s first rightwing extremist state government since the Nazi period, putting Friedrich Merz’s centre-right government and its anti-extremist strategy under pressure.

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