Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the results of the election in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt as a warning that the far-right threat was growing in Europe and worldwide.
Sánchez spoke Monday at an interparliamentary meeting organized by his Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). He said Sunday's election in Saxony-Anhalt was both a warning and an indication of a broader political shift.
AfD more than doubled its vote share
Alternative for Germany (AfD) won about 44 percent of the vote in the Saxony-Anhalt election. Compared with the previous state election in 2021, the party more than doubled its vote share.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union received about 17 percent of the vote, trailing the AfD.
Sánchez stresses need for progressive government
Sánchez said far-right forces in Europe and across the Atlantic were targeting Spain. He argued that the criticism was linked to the progressive government policies he said had been in place in the country for eight years.
Presenting Spain as an alternative to far-right politics, Sánchez said these movements pursued a politics of “hate,” while his country represented progress.
Sánchez said Spain's progressive coalition government was more necessary than ever. He said the government was leading policies aimed at supporting economic growth and employment, strengthening the welfare state, and responding fairly to the digital and ecological transitions.