A German evangelical leader has called for a measured response among Christians after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won a decisive victory in Sunday's state election in Saxony-Anhalt, falling just short of an outright majority.
Preliminary results showed the AfD winning 43.8% of the vote, far ahead of the conservative CDU's 17.2%, the BBC reported. The party is on track for 39 of 83 seats in the state parliament — three short of a majority — leaving mainstream parties, all of which have refused to join an AfD-led coalition, to negotiate a way forward.
Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD's leader in Saxony-Anhalt, called the result "sensational" and said the party had won a mandate to govern, according to the BBC.
In a statement issued Sept. 3, days before the vote, AfD federal spokespeople Tino Chrupalla and Alice Weidel had urged supporters to turn out, framing the election as decisive for the country's future.
"Look at Saxony-Anhalt! Because the future of Germany is at stake there. The AfD in Saxony-Anhalt has formulated a clear goal for winning the election: They want to enforce existing laws — for example, regarding illegal migration — and ensure that Germany remains a livable place. The other parties have failed to correct the mistakes of recent years, for example, concerning the energy transition and education policy, and show little interest in a genuine change of course."
By 2 p.m., 54.4% of votes had already been cast, compared with 27.1% at the same point in the June 2021 election, the Landtag reported. Final turnout reached 77.8%, according to the BBC. About 1.7 million people were called upon to vote.
Johann Matthies, political representative of the German Evangelical Alliance (Evangelische Allianz in Deutschland/EAD) in Berlin, told Christian Daily International that the evangelical group is concerned about the AfD's victory. He considered it important to reflect on the narrative shown by the election result.
First, Matthies said a "striking political reality" is apparent — namely that a party that has never held government responsibility in Saxony-Anhalt has received more than twice as many votes as the governing party, which has now fallen into second place.
"This represents an extraordinary loss of trust and cannot simply be dismissed as a protest vote," Matthies said.
"Politics is about seeking solutions to concrete problems. Evidently, a very large number of people no longer trust those who have governed until now to take these problems seriously enough or to solve them."
Matthies reported hearing of "considerable concern" from Christians in Saxony-Anhalt.
"They worry about social cohesion and about whether their state may fall further behind economically in the years ahead," he said. "At the same time, such an election result causes concern among Germany's international partners. Germany is being watched very closely from abroad."
Matthies called on evangelicals to neither demonize politicians and their voters nor "approve everything that gains political support out of protest, frustration or disappointment."
"No political party has a claim to our ultimate loyalty," he said. "Political positions must be measured against human dignity, freedom, truthfulness, responsibility and love of neighbor."
Matthies also cautioned against reducing the situation simply to the question of a "far-right surge."
"We need to examine concrete positions critically, including those of the AfD, while at the same time taking seriously the reasons why so many citizens have withdrawn their confidence from the established parties. Listening to voters is not the same as endorsing everything they voted for."
Matthies also called on evangelicals to pray for those in political leadership at this time.
"The New Testament calls Christians to pray for those who carry political responsibility. We should pray for wisdom and humility among those who govern and those who oppose them, for the protection of human dignity and democratic freedom, for social peace, and for the courage to address real problems truthfully rather than merely fighting political labels.
"For Christians, hope ultimately does not rest on an election result or on any political party. Our task is to remain truthful, to seek the good of our neighbors, to resist contempt and hatred, and to contribute to reconciliation in a society that is becoming increasingly polarized."
