Saarland’s Minister-President Anke Rehlinger has expressed concerns that the upcoming German federal election in February may be seen as a “wake-up call” for the government in Berlin. In an interview with the Handelsblatt, Rehlinger warned that the AfD’s election program is “targeted against workers, against Europe, and thus against our economic interests.”
She also pointed to the potential influence of external actors, such as Russia, on the election outcome. Rehlinger stated that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin is “forging an international of the right and extreme right, and is betting on the AfD.”
The SPD’s deputy chair emphasized the importance of the center-left coalition standing together against the political agenda of the right and extreme right international.
In a separate context, Rehlinger praised Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s intervention in response to US President-elect Donald Trump’s comments on potential claims to Greenland. She saw this as a defense of Europe and the inviolability of borders, saying it is “good that the federal chancellor tells a future US president what does not go.” France also reacted to Trump’s “Greenland fantasies” Rehlinger noted.