Lower thirds:

00:02 Report by / Hans Brandt
00:16 Friedrich Merz / German Chancellor | Berlin
01:01 Ulrich Siegmund / AfD Saxony-Anhalt lead candidate
01:43 Alice Weidel / Co-leader, Alternative for Germany (AfD)
02:52 Ulrich Siegmund / AfD Saxony-Anhalt lead candidate
03:25 Johannes Kiess / Extremism expert, Leipzig University

Script:

The German chancellor is shocked by what happened this weekend —  a catastrophic loss for his  conservative CDU party in  elections in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

+++ Friedrich Merz, German Chancellor +++
"All of us are deeply shocked. We did not expect this. Of course, we have to accept this. Those are the rules of our  democracy. But yesterday brought a change not only for Saxony-Anhalt but for Germany as a whole. These election results will have consequences — internationally, too.”

Friedrich Merz is despondent. On the other hand, the  far-right  Alternative for Germany, the AfD, is riding the crest of a wave. The lead candidate is taking the party’s  overwhelming retgional victory as a mandate to attack Merz himself.

+++ Ulrich Siegmund, AfD Leader, Saxony-Anhalt +++
"This historic election is not only decisive for Saxony Anhalt, it is decisive for Germany. It’s my aim to give tailwind to the  message of the people. So, it is heard here in Berlin. The message that business as usual is no longer possible.  The goal is quite clear and what I need as well: I need a Chancellor Alice Weidel here in Berlin, so that we can write history together."

Alice Weidel is the AfD’s national co-leader. She is already looking forward to the next national election — even though that is more than two years away.

+++ Alice Weidel, Co-Leader, AfD +++
"We take this mandate to govern seriously, not only in Saxony-Anhalt, but in all federal states and especially in the next national election where we will be the strongest force by far. And let me add: The CDU and CSU will never  win a Bundestag  election again."

Merz has said repeatedly that he will never cooperate with the AfD — not least because some parts of that party are classified as rightwing extremist by domestic intelligence services. 

The Christian Democrats have obliged all party members to respect what is called "the  firewall" – which is intended to rule out alliances between the conservatives and the far right.

Saxony-Anhalt is a major test of this firewall policy. The AfD is only three seats short of a governing majority. And some CDU  candidates there have been less than categoric about rejecting cooperation with the AfD.

Ulrich Siegmund is quite open about his attempts to win over conservatives.

+++ Ulrich Siegmund, AfD Leader, Saxony-Anhalt +++
"If there are some individuals  who come to the conclusion that they are prepared to get over themselves,  to focus on the future wellbeing of the state rather than themselves, who  are prepared to make a contribution by implementing these fundamental policies, then that would be completely acceptable. That would be democracy in action."

If any CDU politicians were to join an AfD government in Saxony-Anhalt, that could well be a fatal blow to Friedrich Merz.
According to Johannes Kiess, an expert on rightwing extremism at Leipzig University, Merz has to take a lot of the blame himself.

+++ Johannes Kiess, Leipzig University +++
"He repeatedly insulted voters: People are too lazy in Germany, not willing to work, etc. And he widened the gap between Berlin and the population, and this hybris — this arrogance — towards what is happening on the ground is one of the decisive factors in the campaign for the AfD."

In fact, Merz is already facing massive criticism within his own party. His own political future is on the line.

END