Milan, Sept. 8 (LaPresse) – “An event of colossal proportions.” This is how Romani Prodi, former prime minister, describes the result of the elections in Saxony-Anhalt, which saw the AfD win 45% of the vote. “For the first time since the end of the war, a far-right party that openly evokes Nazism has won. And it won with 45% of the vote. The second party is 25 points behind. What more is needed to raise the alarm?” he says, stressing that the fact that “the election result does not even come as a surprise makes the issue even more serious.” “And it is not surprising because the vote follows a movement toward authoritarianism that is sweeping the world, from Trump to Putin, and that is slowly eroding European democracies,” he explains. “And a weaker Europe, at this time, is not unwelcome either in the East or in the West. After all, since Europe is incapable of making decisions, it has lost all its appeal. So why vote to defend it, if it serves no purpose? The outcome of the referendum vote in Iceland was also a signal pointing in this direction. And that too was underestimated.” “In this situation, we need to pay close attention to so-called ‘incidents.’ Like when they taught us at school about the Sarajevo assassination in 1914, and we memorized the archduke, today I fear this, I fear the incident.” In Italy, the AfD “is embodied by Roberto Vannacci, who is an adjunct to the center-right.” In Italy, the government “celebrated the only thing it could celebrate,” its longevity, “having achieved no other concrete results, concrete results, being divided over everything internally.” “I expect the opposition to do its job, not limiting itself to opposing the government but proposing an alternative. And this must happen before the primaries,” he stresses.
Germany, Prodi: “Colossal event never seen since ’45, EU in danger”
Milan, Sept. 8 (LaPresse) – “An event of colossal proportions.” This is how Romani Prodi, former prime minister, describes the result of the elections in Saxony-Anhalt, which saw the AfD win 45% of the vote. “For the first time since the end of the war, a far-right party that openly evokes Nazism has won. And it won with 45% of the vote. The second party is 25 points behind. What more is needed to raise the alarm?” he says, stressing that the fact that “the election result does not even come as a surprise makes the issue even more serious.” “And it is not surprising because the vote follows a movement toward authoritarianism that is sweeping the world, from Trump to Putin, and that is slowly eroding European democracies,” he explains. “And a weaker Europe, at this time, is not unwelcome either in the East or in the West. After all, since Europe is incapable of making decisions, it has lost all its appeal. So why vote to defend it, if it serves no purpose? The outcome of the referendum vote in Iceland was also a signal pointing in this direction. And that too was underestimated.” “In this situation, we need to pay close attention to so-called ‘incidents.’ Like when they taught us at school about the Sarajevo assassination in 1914, and we memorized the archduke, today I fear this, I fear the incident.” In Italy, the AfD “is embodied by Roberto Vannacci, who is an adjunct to the center-right.” In Italy, the government “celebrated the only thing it could celebrate,” its longevity, “having achieved no other concrete results, concrete results, being divided over everything internally.” “I expect the opposition to do its job, not limiting itself to opposing the government but proposing an alternative. And this must happen before the primaries,” he stresses.