The AfD’s thumping victory in the Saxony-Anhalt regional election has sent shockwaves across the German political landscape and left chancellor Friedrich Merz in a state of shock. With his popularity plummeting and further regional elections on the horizon, is Merz’s time almost up? And what does all of this tell us about the current state of German democracy? #Germany #AfD #FriedrichMerz #SaxonyAnhalt #GermanPolitics This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Guest: Oliver Moody, Berlin correspondent, The Times. Host: Manveen Rana. Producers: Jesse Fox, Leo Danczak. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Firewall to keep AfD out is crumbling — how will Friedrich Merz react? Further listening: Germany’s radical right is surging. Can they be stopped? Clips: BBC, CNN, Channel 4 News, T Online, CBC News, Phoenix, APT. Photo: Getty Images. This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Read the best of our journalism: https://www.thetimes.com/ Listen live to Times Radio: https://www.thetimes.com/radio/live Subscribe to The Times and The Sunday Times YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=timesonlinevideo Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timesandsundaytimes/ Find us on X: https://x.com/thetimes Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetimes/