The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) narrowly failed to secure an outright(完全的，彻底的) majority in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt. But nobody should take comfort from(从……中得到安慰) that. The party still won by a landslide(以压倒性多数（获胜）). Decades of far-right election gains have made them seem normal to the point where only the biggest victories are deemed newsworthy.(数十年来极右翼在选举中的斩获已使它们显得正常，以至于只有最大的胜利才被视为有新闻价值。) But 44% of the vote for a party that is officially classified(归类为，分类为) as “extreme right” is not normal. It is a black day(黑暗的日子，不祥之日) for European democracy, even if it occurs in a small east German state.
极右翼的德国选择党（AfD）在萨克森-安哈尔特州的州选举中以微弱差距未能获得绝对多数。但没有人应该为此感到安慰。该党仍然以压倒性优势获胜。数十年来极右翼在选举中的斩获已使它们显得正常，以至于只有最大的胜利才被视为有新闻价值。但一个被官方归类为“极右”的政党获得44%的选票并不正常。这对欧洲民主来说是黑暗的一天，即使它发生在一个德国东部小州。
While Saxony-Anhalt (and Germany itself) may have dodged the worst outcome because the AfD won’t automatically fulfil its ambition of forming the first far-right state government in Germany since the Nazi era, there is no reason to assume it will be so lucky at the next election.(尽管萨克森-安哈尔特州（以及德国本身）可能躲过了最坏的结果，因为德国选择党不会自动实现其自纳粹时代以来组建德国首个极右翼州政府的野心，但没有理由认为它在下次选举中还会如此幸运。) Neither will other German states, such as Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in two weeks’ time, or other countries, such as France next year. No country is immune(免疫的，不受影响的) from the far right and, perhaps even more worryingly, no far-right party or politician is too extreme for political success(过于极端而无法取得政治成功) (as the US has shown). We must therefore update our analyses and strategies.
尽管萨克森-安哈尔特州（以及德国本身）可能躲过了最坏的结果，因为德国选择党不会自动实现其自纳粹时代以来组建德国首个极右翼州政府的野心，但没有理由认为它在下次选举中还会如此幸运。其他德国州也不会，比如两周后的梅克伦堡-前波莫瑞州，或者其他国家，比如明年的法国。没有哪个国家能对极右翼免疫，而且也许更令人担忧的是，没有任何极右翼政党或政治家会因其过于极端而无法取得政治成功（美国已经证明了这一点）。因此，我们必须更新我们的分析和策略。
Although Saxony-Anhalt, and east Germany in general, is an extreme case, it reflects similar trends in the rest of Europe. Far-right parties are going from strength to strength(不断壮大，越来越强大), with old dominant parties decimated(大量摧毁，重创), and party systems fragmented(碎片化的，分裂的). Consequently, coalition(联盟，联合政府) formation is becoming increasingly complicated, particularly if we want to keep the far right out of power(将极右翼排除在权力之外). In many countries, provinces and cities, most democratic parties are having to govern together to exclude the far right. This often leads to inefficient and unstable coalitions, in turn(反过来，进而) feeding yet more political dissatisfaction and far-right support.
尽管萨克森-安哈尔特州，以及整个东德，是一个极端的案例，但它反映了欧洲其他地区的类似趋势。极右翼政党正日益强大，老牌主导政党遭到重创，政党体系碎片化。因此，联盟组建变得越来越复杂，特别是如果我们想把极右翼排除在权力之外。在许多国家、省和城市，大多数民主政党不得不共同执政以排除极右翼。这往往导致低效和不稳定的联盟，进而助长更多的政治不满和极右翼支持。