A far-right party in Germany has just trounced its rivals in a state election – the closest such a party has come to holding power in a German state since World War II.

The result sent shockwaves through a country that has, since the destruction of Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime, created a political system that prevents extremist parties from returning to power.

Today's guest, Europe correspondent David Crowe, discusses what the rise of the Alternative for Germany party, otherwise known as the AfD, means for Europe and the rest of the world.

Further reading:
Election shockwave: Meet the smiling new leader set to bring hard-right upheaval to Germany



The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.
If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your podcasts.

A far-right party in Germany has just trounced its rivals in a state election &ndash; the closest such a party has <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/world/europe/election-shockwave-meet-the-smiling-new-leader-set-to-bring-hard-right-upheaval-to-germany-20260907-p60ux9.html?utm_source=omny&amp;utm_medium=podcast_notes&amp;utm_campaign=the_morning_edition&amp;utm_content=&amp;utm_term=newsroom">come to holding power in a German state since World War II.</a>
The result sent shockwaves through a country that has, since the destruction of Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime, created a political system that prevents extremist parties from returning to power.
Today's guest, Europe correspondent David Crowe, discusses what the rise of the Alternative for Germany party, otherwise known as the AfD, means for Europe and the rest of the world. Further reading:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.theage.com.au/world/europe/election-shockwave-meet-the-smiling-new-leader-set-to-bring-hard-right-upheaval-to-germany-20260907-p60ux9.html?utm_source=omny&amp;utm_medium=podcast_notes&amp;utm_campaign=the_morning_edition&amp;utm_content=&amp;utm_term=newsroom">Election shockwave: Meet the smiling new leader set to bring hard-right upheaval to Germany</a></li>
</ul>
 The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris, from the newsrooms of<a href="https://www.smh.com.au/"> The Sydney Morning Herald</a> and<a href="https://www.theage.com.au/"> The Age</a>, weekdays from 5am. If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more, rate, review and subscribe on<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/channel/smh-the-age/id6442611511"> Apple</a>,<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1v0tWOA2mdi5WU9hvjJ3da?si=f4b8d7fafdf5495d"> Spotify</a>,<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrLulycax3584BxKI1ZqSySsouknCWiUa"> YouTube</a> or whichever platform you find your podcasts.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

The Morning Edition

The Morning Edition brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host Samantha Selinger-Morris from the newsrooms of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, weekdays from 5am.

If you enjoy this podcast and want to hear more, please rate, review & subscribe on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or whichever platform you find your pods.

The Morning Edition&nbsp;brings you the story behind the story with the best journalists in Australia. Join host <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/by/samantha-selinger-morris-p4yvwp">Samantha Selinger-Morris</a> from the newsrooms of <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/">The Sydney Morning Herald</a> and <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/">The Age</a>, weekdays from 5am.
If you enjoy this podcast and want to hear more, please rate, review &amp; subscribe on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/channel/smh-the-age/id6442611511">Apple</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1v0tWOA2mdi5WU9hvjJ3da?si=f4b8d7fafdf5495d">Spotify</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrLulycax3584BxKI1ZqSySsouknCWiUa">YouTube</a>&nbsp;or whichever platform you&nbsp;find your pods.

Germany had ruled out extremist parties. Then came this election win

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/88b564ea-a9a6-4751-910a-a5d800019396/clips/1db77f8a-83d8-4af6-b93a-b4bf00466e96/transcript