Auschwitz Survivor, 83, on AfD's Triumph: "This Is Only the Beginning"

The Alternative for Germany party won nearly 44% of the vote in the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, a result that has horrified 83-year-old Eva Umlauf — a survivor of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz who now heads the International Auschwitz Committee. In an interview with Reuters, she said the outcome frightens her, even though she had expected it.

"When you see the numbers in black and white, it becomes even more frightening. I'm horrified, and I'm sad. I don't understand what makes people vote for this party," Umlauf admitted.

Liberated from Auschwitz at Age Two

Umlauf was just two years old when Allied forces liberated her and her mother from the Nazi death camp Auschwitz in January 1945. Born in Slovakia, she now lives in Munich, where she trained as a pediatrician and psychotherapist. For decades she has shared her family's story in schools and at public events, hoping to remind people of the lessons of history.

"We survived it, and we talk about it. I share this story in schools and at other events, trying to bring history closer to people again, to show through my family's example what can happen. And it still leads to this. That's the hardest part," she says.

"The Danger Is Real Right Now"

Umlauf sees the AfD's result above all as a warning for minorities. "We're afraid. Being a foreigner in Germany isn't easy. You start to fear that history will repeat itself. And that danger is real now. This is only the beginning," she warns, expecting the party's influence to keep growing. Elections in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are still ahead, and in her view, the results there are unlikely to be much better.

The AfD's victory in Saxony-Anhalt has brought the far right closer to power in a German state than at any point since World War II, though the party fell short of an absolute majority. Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies the local AfD branch as right-wing extremist — a designation the party itself rejects.

Not Just a Protest Vote

Umlauf doesn't believe the AfD's success can be explained simply as a protest against the traditional parties. "If you look at the results, a lot of young people who never lived through the war are voting for the AfD. I don't understand what drives them — they don't think about the consequences," she says.

At the same time, she doubts the party can actually deliver on its promises: "I don't think they know how to govern. I don't believe they can fulfill what they've promised people." In her view, the AfD's result could galvanize its opponents: "I hope this wakes up the remaining 70 percent" — referring to the fact that, nationwide, support for the far right hovers at around a third of voters.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz