Never before has the result of a regional election had such an impact across Europe than that in the German province of Saxony-Anhalt.
Voters have made the hard-right Alternative fur Deutschland (AfD) the biggest party in the region, just short of an overall seat majority to rule alone.
The result has rocked the German political establishment, which had depended on the country’s post-World War II structures to stymie extremists after the calamity of Nazism.
Germany’s 16 regional governments have power over law and order, schools and culture policy, and they have representation in the federal upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat.
Saxony-Anhalt is in the former East Germany, where there is continuing disillusionment with the outcomes of German Reunification in 1990.
Whether the AfD can gain power in the regional capital of Magdeburg remains in question. Much depends on whether the other parties can maintain their Brandmauer, a political firewall that bans co-operation and sharing government with the AfD.
Even before Sunday’s vote, there were signs that the firewall was under pressure, with some Christian Democrats questioning its political wisdom.
Two more regional elections – especially that for the Berlin assembly on September 20 – may cement AfD’s current popularity. The party is also very popular nationally, and federal elections are due in 2029.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz is beset by difficulties, which is not good for the EU, generally – and for Ireland in particular.