Germany: The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has secured a decisive victory in Germany’s eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, recording a strong lead over its mainstream political rivals but falling short of the majority required to form a government on its own.
Preliminary results showed the AfD winning 43.8 percent of the vote, more than twice its 2021 result. The conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) finished a distant second with 17.2 percent, marking a major setback for the party.
The AfD is currently projected to hold 39 of the 83 seats in the state parliament, while 42 seats are required for an outright majority. The result is therefore expected to trigger difficult negotiations over the formation of the next state government.
AfD state leader Ulrich Siegmund, 35, described the result as ‘sensational’ and said voters had given the party a mandate to govern. The result marks a significant development in Germany’s post-war political landscape. No far-right party has previously controlled a German state government since the end of World War Two.
Saxony-Anhalt, home to around 2.1 million people, is one of the eastern German states where the AfD has built considerable electoral support. The party’s state branch is classified as right-wing extremist by Germany’s domestic intelligence service, a designation rejected by Siegmund.
The election also delivered a major blow to the CDU, whose vote share fell by more than half compared with the previous state election. CDU leader Sven Schulze acknowledged the result and said his party would have to respond to the voters’ message.
Germany’s centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) described the outcome as ‘truly dramatic’. National SPD leader Lars Klingbeil said the result should be seen as a clear signal to the government in Berlin.
The AfD’s path to power remains uncertain, however, because Germany’s mainstream parties have maintained a political firewall, known as the Brandmauer, against forming coalitions with the far right.
Attention is now turning to the left-wing populist Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), which is expected to secure around five seats. The party has taken tough positions on migration and supports closer energy ties with Russia, while leaving open the possibility of cooperation with the AfD on certain issues.
Siegmund has so far rejected the idea of leading a minority government but suggested that fresh elections could be an option if negotiations fail. The AfD’s victory is likely to have national political implications. The party is already leading opinion polls at the federal level, with particularly strong support in eastern Germany.
Its policies, including its controversial call for ‘remigration’, have generated widespread criticism. The party says the term refers to the deportation of criminals and people staying illegally in Germany, while critics interpret it as a broader plan for mass deportations.
The election has also reignited concerns about Germany’s historical legacy. Demonstrators opposing the AfD gathered in Magdeburg before the vote, warning against a return to the country’s darkest periods. Charlotte Knobloch, a Holocaust survivor and veteran leader of the Jewish community in Munich and Bavaria, said the result was frightening and urged mainstream political parties not to allow further political decline.
With the AfD falling just short of a parliamentary majority, the immediate challenge will be determining whether Germany’s political firewall can prevent the party from entering government or whether new alliances could give it a route to power in Saxony-Anhalt.
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