Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) has recorded record support at home, but its surge is creating unease among some European far-right parties that have traditionally looked for common cause. That tension was highlighted again after recent state elections. In Saxony-Anhalt earlier this month, the AfD won 43.8% of the vote, its strongest result to date, falling just three seats short of an overall majority. Results in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin last weekend also pointed to a shift away from mainstream parties towards the fringes, with the AfD among the main beneficiaries. Congratulatory Calls, Calculated SilenceSeveral far-right leaders abroad sent messages of support after the Saxony-Anhalt result. Geert Wilders of the Netherlands’ Party for Freedom, Viktor Orbán of Hungary’s Fidesz and Santiago Abascal of Spain’s Vox all congratulated the AfD. Abascal said the party’s advance was “a great hope for Germany and Europe”. But some of Europe’s largest far-right parties, including France’s National Rally (RN), Italy’s Brothers of Italy and Britain’s Reform UK, have largely refrained from endorsement. In France, the RN said even before the Saxony-Anhalt vote that renewed cooperation with the AfD was “not planned”. Marine Le Pen’s party has been trying to rebrand itself, a process it describes as “detoxification”, shifting away from the overt xenophobia associated with the party’s roots under her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen. Supporters of the strategy point to changes in messaging, including softer anti-immigration rhetoric and a more welcoming stance towards mixed-race citizens than the party’s earlier generation. Since Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel, the RN has also sought to foreground opposition to antisemitism as part of its broader effort to look closer to the mainstream. Break With AfD Over Past and PlansThe RN previously worked with the AfD in the European Parliament under its earlier name, the National Front. The relationship frayed after comments from a senior AfD figure that appeared to downplay the criminal role of Hitler’s SS in the Second World War, and after reports of a secret plan by the German party to expel people of foreign origin en masse. In May 2024, the French party cut its ties with the German far right. That separation has been underscored by the muted response from RN leadership after AfD gains. RN lawmaker Franck Allisio told LCI on September 6, the day of the Saxony-Anhalt vote, that the party had “real problems on both style and substance” and that it did not see the AfD as “our allies in Germany”. With the 2027 presidential election approaching, the RN’s stance also reflects a desire to avoid political blowback, according to the reporting. Extremist Labels, Foreign Policy and External LinksChatham House researcher Grégoire Roos said the RN’s approach is different from the AfD’s. He said the AfD has not attempted to purge extremist factions even as it broadened its electoral appeal. The AfD rejects accusations of right-wing extremism, saying Germany’s domestic intelligence agency classification as “extremist” is meant to “distort democratic competition”. Roos added that figures within the AfD talk about the Nazi era without treating all aspects as something to be discarded, a stance he said makes the party difficult for many European peers to accept. Not all far-right parties have been cautious. Éric Zemmour’s Reconquest welcomed AfD’s result, with Reconquest MEP Sarah Knafo calling it “historic” and urging that European peoples are ready to take decisions “into their own hands”. The AfD has also helped form the Europe of Sovereign Nations group in the European Parliament after being expelled from Identity and Democracy, bringing together nationalist parties including Reconquest and groups from Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. In Italy, Brothers of Italy has stayed apart, with Giorgia Meloni pursuing influence in the European political mainstream rather than aligning closely with the AfD. Her party sits in the ECR group, which is more integrated with parliamentary mainstream structures, and the two parties disagree sharply on foreign policy, including support for NATO and Ukraine versus the AfD’s position against sending weapons to Ukraine and its call to lift sanctions on Russia. British far-right figures have also been cautious. Nigel Farage said on a podcast in April that his main difficulty with the AfD was its stance linked to Russia, adding that its connections to some dictators were “very, very difficult”. Beyond Europe, external ties have further complicated the AfD’s relationships. The party’s links to Russia and China are viewed as less of a barrier than they are for other populist movements. In Germany, an adviser to the AfD was convicted last year of spying for China. The AfD has also received attention from the United States, with Donald Trump congratulating it on social media after the Saxony-Anhalt vote and Elon Musk expressing support. Join the discussion? 27 September 2026
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