Spanish premier warns 'far-right threat' gaining ground after AfD victory in Germany

The Spanish prime minister on Monday warned that the "far-right threat" is gaining ground in Europe and globally, pointing to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's sweeping victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Speaking at an interparliamentary meeting of his party PSOE, Pedro Sanchez said Sunday's election was both a "warning" and evidence of a broader political shift.

Sanchez said far-right forces across Europe and across the Atlantic are "currently attacking" Spain, arguing that there was a reason for such criticism after eight years of progressive government.

He portrayed Spain as an alternative to the politics of the far right, contrasting what he described as their "hatred" with the country's progress.

"What we saw yesterday in Saxony is a warning, and I think also a confirmation: a warning that the far-right threat, thanks largely to the surrender of the traditional right, is gaining ground in Europe and the world," he said.

Sanchez argued that Spain's progressive coalition government was therefore "more necessary than ever," describing the country as being at the forefront of progressive policies.

The world is "watching us," he said, adding that Spain is the "spearhead" of policies aimed at promoting economic growth and employment, strengthening the welfare state and providing a fair response to digital and ecological transformations.

The far-right AfD won around 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, more than doubling its support from the previous state election in 2021 and finishing far ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union, which secured around 17%.