Germany held three regional elections this month, and if you consumed any English-language coverage, you'd be forgiven for thinking the entire continent had simply been handed to the far right in a tote bag. The prevailing narrative - 'embattled mainstream clings to power after latest loss to far right' - has been the go-to framing since 2016, the year Brexit and Trump taught us all that nuance was for cowards.

But here's the thing: Saxony-Anhalt's election on 6 September was indeed a global news event, which is understandable given Germany's history, economy, and general habit of being Europe's responsible adult. International media spent months speculating about an outright majority for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). The party came close - a record 43.8% - but it has so far failed to form a government, despite the amenable position of the 'left-conservative' Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance.

So yes, the far right did well. But as Cas Mudde argues, the reductive take both oversimplifies the complexities of contemporary European politics and drives a defeatist 'end of democracy' narrative. Voter dissatisfaction, it turns out, is an equal-opportunity employer - benefiting the left as well as the right. Wild concept, we know.

The three regional elections each had unique results, which is precisely the point. But nuance doesn't trend, so we got the usual horse-race coverage instead. The AfD's 43.8% is alarming, no question. But 'close' is not 'governing,' and the left's gains suggest that not every angry voter is reaching for the far-right lever. Democracy, it seems, is not dead yet - it's just having a messy, multi-directional tantrum.