In response to the AfD’s surge in Saxony-Anhalt, she argues that building firewalls to isolate right-wing movements is ineffective and cites the party’s gains as proof that the strategy fails.

She maintains that defending national identity, resisting illegal immigration, and highlighting fears of Islamization have strengthened such movements rather than contained them.

The Saxony-Anhalt results are presented as a potential turning point for Germany, raising concerns about a possible AfD-led government while urging unity and civil-society engagement.

Within Italy’s coalition, Meloni has remained neutral on the Sachsen-Anhalt outcome, while Matteo Salvini congratulated AfD co-chair Alice Weidel and Foreign Minister Tajani of Forza Italia called the message troubling.

The remarks were made to Il Foglio, linking the AfD’s strong performance to the argument that firewall approaches do not work.

The firewall approach is reflected in mainstream German parties ruling out coalitions with the AfD, which complicates the AfD’s ability to form government in Saxony-Anhalt.

She emphasizes that, instead of sharp demarcation, there should be listening to concerns and delivering concrete solutions to inequalities and fears of the population.

In the European Parliament, Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia sits with the European Conservatives and Reformists, while the AfD aligns with the Europe of Nations and Freedom-leaning ESN group.

She has previously distanced herself from the AfD, distinguishing her stance from theirs, even as she comments on broader European political dynamics.

Overall, she argues that establishments tend to erect barriers, but engaging with voter concerns and offering substantive policies is a more effective path.