‘Remigration’ and Russian lessons: German far-right party promises radical measures if elected

By Sebastian Shukla, CNN

Berlin (CNN) — As one European nationalist party saw its grip on power end abruptly in Hungary over the weekend, another was riding a wave of popularity that is strengthening its hold on German politics.

The Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) chapter in the former East German state of Saxony-Anhalt held its party congress over the weekend, ahead of state elections in September that could deliver the party – once a political outcast – its first absolute majority in its 13-year history.

In a passionate speech to around 250 delegates, the far-right party’s telegenic lead candidate in the region, Ulrich Siegmund, gave a clear sense of what AfD rule might look like in the state.

“We say yes to consistent deportations,” the highly popular social media star told the congress on Saturday in the state capital Magdeburg. Later, the party members adopted a150-page manifesto for the state that many are calling “radical.”

In a draft of the manifesto, which CNN has seen, the AfD calls for major change in migration, education, welfare and energy policies. It advocates “a complete 180-degree turn” in migration policy to include deportation and what it terms “remigration” – a word with Nazi connotations. Ukrainian refugees who fled the war would be among those targeted.

Even if the party wins an outright majority in September’s state election, the AfD will not be able to implement such changes, which are a matter for the federal government in Berlin. But the manifesto provides a clear insight into the thinking of a party that was once considered fringe, but now poses a threat to the political establishment.

Some of that shift can be attributed to immigration. In 2015, Germany opened its doors to almost a million refugees, most of them from Syria, taking in almost 3 million in the decade between then and 2024.

Germany is still wrestling with that legacy. In recent years a wave of anti-immigration sentiment has helped to fuel the rise of the AfD across the country, particularly since a spate of attacks carried out by migrants in 2024 and 2025, including one at a Christmas market in Magdeburg.

In his address to party members in that city, Siegmund said Europe was watching what he called “this historic election.”

If his party wins, Saxony-Anhalt would be the second former East German state to elect the AfD as their largest party after neighboring Thuringia. Recent polls put the AfD’s popularity hovering around 40%, more than 10 –points ahead of rival parties.

The party is already well established in the former East Germany, where its popularity is often attributed to economic disparities with the west of the country that stem from the region’s communist past. Many voters resent what they see as economic disparities between the east and west of the country.

This year, however, there are signs the AfD is also on the rise in the west of the country, a worrying trend for Germany’s legacy parties, like the CDU, the party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and the SPD, which forms part of the ruling coalition.

In March, the AfD performed strongly in two state elections, Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. In both instances they saw huge swings in voters, 9% and 11% respectively from the previous elections in 2021.

The results were not enough to win in either state, but they are an indication of the wider trend – the politics and policies of the AfD are resonating with Germans across the country.

The manifesto will also do little to quell claims of party connections to Russia.

“The current anti-Russian policies of the established political parties, however, are not in Germany’s interest. They are dividing Europe,” it says, calling for the lifting of sanctions on Russia and introducing free Russian language lessons.

That stance contrasts strongly with that of Germany’s national government, which has been a strong supporter of Ukraine in the war with Russia.

The AfD’s campaign, named “Vision 2026,” is clearly aimed at challenging long-held European values. After setbacks for nationalist parties in March local elections in France, then in Hungary at the weekend, Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt provides another big test of their ability to convert popular concern over migration, identity and living standards into success at the polling booth.

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