Vox and Aliança Catalana have publicly celebrated the AfD’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt. Their support signals a new phase of far-right cooperation across Europe. The Spanish left and mainstream parties now face renewed pressure to respond.
Spain’s far-right parties quickly responded to the AfD’s strong showing in Saxony-Anhalt. Within hours of the German results, Vox and Aliança Catalana publicly aligned themselves with the AfD, presenting the outcome as a sign of momentum for similar movements across Europe. Both parties framed the AfD’s win as more than a local event, using it to rally their own 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, described the outcome as a "victory of the German people" and pointed to shared priorities with the AfD, such as opposition to mass immigration and the Green Deal. Buxadé also noted that AfD’s support spans nearly all age groups, something Vox has not yet achieved in Spain. According to Reuters and DW, 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 still short of an outright majority.
"The CDU, Germany's traditional center-right party, suffered a dramatic setback in Saxony-Anhalt, receiving only 17.2% of the vote and highlighting the scale of mainstream parties' decline."
— DW
Aliança Catalana has spent the past two years building ties with the AfD. Party representative Pau Nadal met with AfD’s Siegbert Droese in Brussels, focusing on issues like identity, industry, and 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." While there is no official confirmation of a recent Brussels meeting between Aliança Catalana and the AfD in the latest primary sources, it is clear that Spanish far-right parties are using the AfD’s win to bolster their own arguments.
Vox and AfD belong to different groups in the European Parliament—Vox with Patriotas por Europa, AfD leading the more radical Europa de las Naciones Soberanas—but Vox has not hesitated to show ideological alignment. Both parties 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 AfD out of power. Reuters notes that this is seen as a serious blow to the CDU under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with AfD leaders now demanding a review of the "cordon sanitaire" that has kept them out of coalition talks in Germany.
Aliança Catalana’s leader, Sílvia Orriols, used the moment to criticize Junts, accusing them of "suicidal" pro-immigration policies. The party echoed AfD’s rhetoric, promising "sovereignty" and "security" for Catalonia and Europe. Meanwhile, 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.
"Following the Saxony-Anhalt election, AfD leaders Alice Weidel, Tino Chrupalla, and Ulrich Siegmund described the result as 'historic' and called for mainstream German parties to reconsider their refusal to cooperate with AfD, framing the outcome as a mandate for participation in government."
— DW
Spain’s left responded with alarm. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned that the AfD’s success shows the ongoing threat from the far right and called for continued resistance. Transport Minister Óscar Puente was blunt, saying "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, arguing that only a robust 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, with spokesperson Borja Sémper expressing support for the CDU and noting the unusual situation of both far right and far left being open to coalition in Saxony-Anhalt.
These developments come as Spain faces its own pressures from the right. As reported earlier, the PSOE government is already dealing with the impact of far-right gains abroad, especially as migration and security remain contentious issues at home.
The open celebration of the AfD’s victory by Vox and Aliança Catalana marks a shift in European far-right cooperation. Unlike in previous years, Spain’s ultranationalists now see value in publicly aligning with Germany’s most controversial party. This puts new pressure on Spain’s mainstream parties to clarify their own positions. The far right’s willingness to cross traditional boundaries—both ideological and geographic—suggests that the next political battles in Europe will be shaped by these cross-border alliances. For Spain, the normalization of extremist rhetoric is no longer a distant concern; it is now part of daily political debate.
