AfD victory raises alarm but will not derail German brigade deployment

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda’s chief foreign policy adviser, Asta Skaisgirytė, told LRT that the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party’s victory in regional elections is a warning to traditional European parties, but there are no negative indications regarding the deployment of a German brigade in Lithuania.

“A victory in one state does not mean a federal victory,” Skaisgirytė said on Žinių radijas on Tuesday. She added that the result was an alarm bell for traditional parties to review their policies and examine why the AfD had won the support of so many voters.

The AfD received almost 44 percent of the vote, which Skaisgirytė described as a very strong result that fell only a little short of an outright majority. She said the reasons why far-right parties attract voters were relevant not only to Germany, but also to France and other countries.

Traditional parties should reassess how well they address voters’ moods, concerns and fears, she said. One issue being exploited by populist parties was migration, including both legal and illegal migration.

Skaisgirytė said Germany’s federal elections would not take place until 2029, while the brigade is due to be deployed in Lithuania next year. She said the transfer was proceeding according to plan and that it was entirely plausible the brigade would be fully deployed in Lithuania by the end of next year.

“We are working very well with the current coalition in government,” she said, adding that it was too early to make dialogue with the AfD the main goal of Lithuania’s foreign policy.

Skaisgirytė said Lithuania would find it difficult to reach an agreement with the AfD if the party’s positions on Russia, the war in Ukraine and arms deliveries to Ukraine did not change.

She also said Lithuania continued to take a principled position on Belarus and believed sanctions against the country should be strengthened. She described the Belarusian regime as repressive.