The far-right populist party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) secured a landslide 44% win in Saxony-Anhalt’s state elections, according to the Guardian, a result that reverberated well beyond the German state. The outcome sent shock waves to Berlin, across Germany and, in the words of the report, way beyond.

The Guardian describes the AfD as an anti-immigrant, pro-Kremlin party that is classified by domestic intelligence as ‘rightwing extremist’. The scale of the victory, and the radical plans of the victors, formed the backdrop to conversations the outlet held with residents in the state capital.

Writing from Magdeburg the day after the vote, the Guardian’s correspondent described walking through the city and asking people how they felt about the seismic political event. The reporter noted a hesitation about probing residents so soon after the result, but found that almost everyone approached opened up warmly.

Among those the correspondent met were a 21-year-old Guinean-German paramedic collecting donations for a local hospice at the central bus station, and an elderly couple returning home after a stroll along the Elbe river. Their responses illustrated the range of reactions across the city.

One resident, Judith, 88, was initially reluctant to talk but shared parts of her life story. She recounted her experience as an eight-year-old refugee forced to leave Poland in 1946 before her family eventually settled in Magdeburg. The Guardian reports that this experience shaped her outlook, her career as a project engineer and her politics.

The report frames the AfD’s wide margin of victory as a moment that has unsettled the political landscape, with the piece’s title capturing the anxiety felt by some residents about what may come next: ‘I fear the price could be high.’