"Thanks for 20%!" Alice Weidel reacted soberly on X after the announcement of the first election result estimates on Sunday evening, February 23. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's candidate had undoubtedly hoped for a slightly higher score, as predicted by some polls. But whatever the outcome, these elections are a historic victory for the AfD: In just four years, the party led by Weidel has doubled its score from 10.3% of the vote in the 2021 parliamentary elections to 20.8% on Sunday, February 23. It is now the country's second-strongest political force. In the eastern states, it exceeded 30%, coming close to a majority in some constituencies.

"They wanted to halve us, but the opposite has happened!" stressed Weidel on Sunday evening. The results are a consecration for the young party, created by eurosceptic economics professors in the wake of the debt crisis in 2013, and now the country's leading opposition group. Despite the inordinate exposure the party and its candidate received during the campaign, it has no chance of taking part in the government. It remains a pariah in German politics, with no party willing to join forces to form a coalition.

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