Within hours of the German results, Vox and Aliança Catalana publicly aligned themselves with the AfD, casting its strong showing in Saxony-Anhalt as a sign of momentum for similar movements across Europe. Both parties presented the win as more than a local event, using it to rally supporters and signal a broader shift.
Vox leader Santiago Abascal congratulated Alice Weidel and Ulrich Siegmund on social media, calling their result "spectacular" and "a hope for Germany and for Europe." Vox’s European spokesperson, Jorge Buxadé, called the outcome a "victory of the German people" and pointed to shared priorities with the AfD, including opposition to mass immigration and the Green Deal. Buxadé also noted that AfD support spans nearly all age groups, something Vox has yet to achieve in Spain. Reuters and DW reported that the AfD won 43.8% of the vote and 39 seats in the Saxony-Anhalt Landtag, its best result in a state election so far, though short of an outright majority.
DW reported that the CDU, Germany's traditional center-right party, suffered a dramatic setback in Saxony-Anhalt, winning only 17.2% of the vote. The result underscored the scale of the decline among mainstream parties.
Aliança Catalana has spent the past two years building ties with the AfD. Party representative Pau Nadal met AfD’s Siegbert Droese in Brussels to discuss identity and industry, as well as opposition to what they call "Islamization." After the Saxony-Anhalt vote, Aliança Catalana described the result as a break from a "decadent and dark" era and promised that Catalonia would not miss its "appointment with history." No official confirmation has emerged of a recent Brussels meeting between Aliança Catalana and the AfD, but Spanish far-right parties are using the AfD’s win to bolster their own arguments.
Vox and the AfD belong to different groups in the European Parliament. Vox sits with Patriotas por Europa, while the AfD leads the more radical Europa de las Naciones Soberanas. Still, Vox has shown ideological alignment with the party. Both support the Save Europe Act, a campaign focused on "ethnic continuity" in Europe, and have met at far-right summits. Vox has used the German result to pressure Spain’s mainstream right, warning that the Partido Popular Europeo may have to ally with the left to keep the AfD out of power. Reuters described the result as a serious blow to the CDU under Chancellor Friedrich Merz. AfD leaders have called for a review of the "cordon sanitaire" that has kept them out of coalition talks in Germany. After the election, Alice Weidel, Tino Chrupalla and Ulrich Siegmund called the result "historic" and urged mainstream German parties to reconsider their refusal to cooperate with the AfD. They presented the outcome as a mandate to participate in government, DW reported.
Aliança Catalana leader Sílvia Orriols used the moment to criticize Junts, accusing the party of "suicidal" pro-immigration policies. Aliança Catalana echoed the AfD’s rhetoric, promising "sovereignty" and "security" for Catalonia and Europe. Se Acabó La Fiesta (SALF), led by Alvise Pérez, did not directly endorse the AfD, but argued that the German result shows the party represents "the people" and deserves a chance to govern.
Spain’s left responded with alarm. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned that the AfD’s success showed the ongoing threat from the far right and called for continued resistance. Transport Minister Óscar Puente was blunt: "the solution is not to put ourselves in the hands of the Nazis." Other left-wing leaders, including Sira Rego and Enrique Santiago, called for self-criticism and stronger social policies. They argued that only a strong democracy can counter the far right’s agenda.
Nationalist parties outside the far right also voiced concern. Imanol Pradales of the Basque Country called the AfD’s victory a risk to Western democracies, while Carles Puigdemont of Junts called it a "tragedy" and criticized Germany’s CDU for its stance on Catalan independence. The Partido Popular kept a low profile. Its spokesperson, Borja Sémper, expressed support for the CDU and noted the unusual situation in Saxony-Anhalt, where both the far right and far left were open to coalition.
Spain is also facing pressure from the right. As reported earlier, the PSOE government is already dealing with the impact of far-right gains abroad, while migration and security remain contentious issues at home.
Vox and Aliança Catalana’s open celebration of the AfD’s victory points to closer cooperation among Europe’s far-right parties. Spain’s ultranationalists now see value in publicly aligning with Germany’s most controversial party, putting pressure on mainstream parties to clarify their positions. Cross-border alliances are bringing the far right’s normalization into Spain’s daily political debate.
