The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is experiencing record levels of support at home, culminating in 43.8% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt earlier this month. Yet, this rise is simultaneously alienating key transnational allies. Europe’s nationalist movements, including France’s National Rally, are actively distancing themselves due to the AfD’s refusal to purge extremist factions and downplaying of Nazi-era atrocities.
For anyone tracking the cross-border calculus of European populism, a striking paradox has emerged this autumn. Across the continent, anti-establishment parties usually celebrate one another’s breakthroughs. But as Germany's political environment shifts away from traditional parties toward the fringes, the reaction from neighboring nationalist heavyweights has grown complicated, frosty, and in some cases, entirely silent.
Electoral Landslides Meet Diplomatic Silence
Earlier this month, state elections in Saxony-Anhalt saw the AfD secure 43.8% of the vote, missing an outright majority by a mere three seats. Strong showings in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin last weekend further underscored a massive departure of voters from Germany’s mainstream political apparatus.
Naturally, several European nationalist figures rushed to applaud the results. Netherlands’ Party for Freedom leader Geert Wilder, Viktor Orbán of Hungary’s Fidesz, and Spain’s Vox leader Santiago Abascal all hailed the AfD’s gains as a great hope for Germany and Europe.
But a conspicuous silence echoed from some of the bloc’s most formidable far-right parties in France, Italy, and Britain. France’s National Rally (RN), which historically collaborated closely with the AfD in the European Parliament, made it clear before the Saxony-Anhalt vote that renewed cooperation was “not planned.”
The Strategic Detoxification of Marine Le Pen
To understand why France’s leading nationalist faction is keeping Berlin’s rising stars at arm’s length, one must look at Marine Le Pen’s calculated political strategy. With the 2027 French presidential election approaching and representing her best chance yet to the Elysée Palace, the National Rally is undergoing a deliberate “detoxification” process.
Under Le Pen’s leadership, the party has moved away from the overt xenophobia that defined its roots under her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen. The RN has softened its anti-immigration rhetoric, opened its doors to mixed-race citizens, and leaned heavily into condemning antisemitism—particularly following Hamas’ October 7 attacks against Israel.
That careful image-polishing ran directly into a wall of German extremism. Red lines were crossed when a senior AfD figure publicly downplayed the criminal role of Hitler’s SS paramilitary group during World War II. Compounding that friction was the revelation of a secret plan by the German party to orchestrate the mass expulsion of people of foreign origin.
An alliance with the AfD became fundamentally incompatible with the RN’s new political packaging. Consequently, the French party severed formal ties back in May 2024. As RN lawmaker Franck Allisio bluntly told television channel LCI on September 6, the day of the Saxony-Anhalt vote, “We have real problems on both style and substance. We do not consider them to be our allies in Germany.”
Divergent Paths on the European Fringe
While the National Rally works diligently to purge morally disturbing elements from its brand, the AfD has taken a sharply different approach. Grégoire Roos, director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia programs at the Chatham House think tank, points out that the German party has made no effort to rid itself of radical factions, even as it broadens its electoral appeal.
The AfD has consistently rejected accusations of right-wing extremism. Party co-leaders have previously dismissed the domestic intelligence agency’s extremist classification as an attempt to distort democratic competition. However, leading figures within the party remain comfortable discussing the Nazi era, suggesting that not everything from that period of history should be “thrown in the garbage.”
| Political Party / Leader | Country | Stance on AfD |
|---|---|---|
| National Rally (Marine Le Pen) | France | Severed ties; public silence on recent gains |
| Brothers of Italy (Giorgia Meloni) | Italy | Keeps distance; pursues mainstream European influence |
| Fidesz (Viktor Orbán) | Hungary | Offered public congratulations |
| Party for Freedom (Geert Wilder) | Netherlands | Offered public congratulations |
| Vox (Santiago Abascal) | Spain | Offered public congratulations |
| Reconquest (Éric Zemmour) | France | Welcomed results via prominent European lawmakers |
This ideological cleavage has fractured the European Parliament’s nationalist groupings. Following its expulsion from the Identity and Democracy group, the AfD helped establish the Europe of Sovereign Nations. This smaller, more isolated parliamentary bloc gathers radical nationalists including France’s Reconquest—led by Éric Zemmour, whose MEP Sarah Knafo celebrated the Saxony-Anhalt results online—alongside Bulgaria’s Revival, Hungary’s Our Homeland Movement, Poland’s New Hope, and Slovakia’s Republic Movement.
Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party have charted yet another course. Eschewing formal alignments with the AfD, Meloni continues to build influence within Europe’s established political mainstream.
Ultimately, the AfD’s unwillingness to clean house has turned it into a political radioactive asset for populists hoping to govern major Western European powers. As Europe looks toward upcoming electoral cycles, the widening chasm among nationalist forces proves that even on the far right, political expedience and historical baggage draw a very firm line.
