All Podcasts / The Rest Is Politics / 569. Farage’s Foreign Funding Scandal and Germany’s Far-Right Breakthrough
The Rest Is Politics
The Rest Is Politics

569. Farage’s Foreign Funding Scandal and Germany’s Far-Right Breakthrough

September 08, 2026 • 55m

Summary

⏱️ 9 min read

Overview

This episode examines the rise of far-right extremism in Europe, focusing on Germany's AfD party winning 43% in Saxony-Anhalt elections and Reform UK's alleged illegal fundraising scandal. The hosts discuss how right-wing nationalist movements are eroding democratic norms, exploiting anti-immigration sentiment and pro-Russian positions, while mainstream politicians struggle to respond effectively.

Germany's Far-Right Surge: AfD's Historic Victory

The AfD achieved a shocking 43-44% in Saxony-Anhalt elections, more than doubling their support while the CDU collapsed to just 17%. This marks the first time since the Nazi era that a far-right party could lead a German state. The victory reflects deep frustration with mainstream parties, nostalgia for the former East Germany, and pro-Russian sentiment, particularly opposition to supporting Ukraine.

  • AfD won 43-44% in Saxony-Anhalt, doubling their support, while CDU dropped to 17%
  • This could be the first far-right minister president of a German state since Hitler's era
  • The AfD includes people from fascist youth groups and maintains strong pro-Putin positions
  • AfD politicians visited the Russian embassy for Putin's birthday and went to Russia after the invasion of Ukraine
  • New polls show CDU nationally at only 19.5% while AfD has risen to 29%
" If you see people around Siegmund and what they said in the past, this is really worrying for many people here in Germany. And at the same time, it shows that all the arguments from the CDU, SPD against AFD and also, I mean, the mainstream media talking about the AFD, that people are not listening anymore. "
" The big thing is we are fed up what we've seen in the past years from the CDU and the SPD. There was many people telling me, you know, during the last elections, I gave my last vote to Friedrich Merz. But they're disappointed. And now they're like, OK, you know, we tried everything. We tried Merz. We tried Olaf Scholz before, you know, we voted for Angela Merkel. But we are fed up. We want something else. "

The AfD's Pro-Russian Stance and Anti-EU Platform

The AfD maintains openly pro-Russian positions that resonate in eastern Germany, where many have nostalgia for communist times. The party still advocates leaving the euro despite gaining mainstream support, distinguishing it from other European right-wing parties. Even Marine Le Pen's party refuses to work with AfD in Brussels, considering them too extreme.

  • Many eastern Germans express nostalgia for DDR times and argue Russia isn't that bad
  • AfD leader Alice Weidel confirmed the party still wants to leave the eurozone despite having 29% support
  • Marine Le Pen's party considers AfD too extreme to work with in the European Parliament
  • AfD argues for ending support to Ukraine and making peace with Russia to improve Germany's economy
" There is discussions about several prime ministers like Markus Söder in Bavaria, Henrik Wüst in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Boris Rhein in Hessen. These are the major ones. We need to get the SPD back in power. I hear that from politicians inside the party. "

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