Germany’s AfD Wins Historic Saxony-Anhalt Election but Falls Short of Majority
MAGDEBURG, GERMANY — WEB DESK: Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has scored a historic landslide victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, delivering a major setback to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and bringing the party closer than ever to governing a German state.
Preliminary official results showed the AfD winning 43.8% of the vote and 39 seats in the 83-member state parliament, more than double the CDU’s share. The result leaves the AfD just three seats short of the 42 required for an absolute majority.
The result is the AfD’s strongest performance in any German state election and marks another major advance for the party in eastern Germany.
AfD Celebrates ‘Historic’ Result
AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund celebrated the outcome as a breakthrough for his party.
“We have made history,” Siegmund said as the scale of the victory became clear. He called on other political forces to work with the AfD to bring about what he described as fundamental political change.
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel also hailed the result, while party leaders argued that voters had rejected the policies of Germany’s mainstream political establishment.
Despite the scale of the victory, however, winning the most votes does not automatically give the AfD control of the Saxony-Anhalt government.
The party needs either coalition partners, parliamentary support from other parties or another political arrangement capable of producing a governing majority.
CDU Suffers Crushing Defeat
The election delivered an especially severe setback to Chancellor Merz’s CDU.
The Christian Democrats won only 17.2%, down dramatically from 37.1% in the 2021 state election.
The result puts renewed pressure on Merz, whose federal government has faced voter dissatisfaction over economic conditions and other domestic issues.
Reuters described the outcome as both a defeat for Merz and a warning to European leaders confronting slow economic growth and growing public dissatisfaction with mainstream politics.
Saxony-Anhalt state premier Sven Schulze acknowledged the scale of the CDU’s defeat but ruled out cooperation with the AfD.
Other Parties Split Remaining Vote
The election produced a highly fragmented state parliament.
The Social Democratic Party secured 9.3%, the Greens 8.9% and Die Linke 8.6%, with each winning eight seats. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) crossed the 5% electoral threshold with 5.3%, gaining five seats.
The liberal Free Democratic Party performed particularly poorly, receiving just 2.6% and losing its representation in the state legislature.
Those results create difficult parliamentary arithmetic for both the AfD and its opponents.
Could AfD Form Its First State Government?
The biggest question after the election is whether the AfD can translate its victory into political power.
Germany’s mainstream parties have traditionally maintained a “firewall” against the AfD, refusing to enter governing coalitions with the party.
The CDU, SPD, Greens and Die Linke have all ruled out governing with it in Saxony-Anhalt.
That leaves the smaller BSW as a potentially decisive player.
Reuters reported that the AfD could potentially form its first state government with support from the left-populist BSW, which shares some positions with the AfD, particularly opposition to mainstream migration policies and criticism of efforts to exclude anti-establishment parties from power.
Whether such an arrangement can actually be negotiated remains uncertain.
Why Did AfD Perform So Strongly?
The AfD campaigned heavily on immigration, economic dissatisfaction, national identity and opposition to Germany’s established political parties.
It also advocates ending German support for Ukraine and rebuilding relations with Russia.
Saxony-Anhalt’s AfD branch has been classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist organisation by the state domestic intelligence agency, a designation the party rejects as politically motivated.
Siegmund’s campaign also drew on nostalgia for the former East Germany while presenting the 35-year-old politician as a more approachable public face for the party.
Economic frustration has played a major role as well. Like several eastern German regions, Saxony-Anhalt continues to face demographic and economic challenges decades after reunification.
Result Sends Shockwaves Through German Politics
The consequences extend beyond Saxony-Anhalt.
The victory strengthens the AfD’s argument that it is moving from a protest movement toward becoming a potential governing force.
It also presents a strategic challenge for the CDU: maintaining the firewall against the AfD could require increasingly complicated coalitions, but cooperation with the party would represent a fundamental break with the Christian Democrats’ current position.
Merz has ruled out an alliance with the AfD despite describing the election result as a profound shock for his party.
The AfD, meanwhile, sees Saxony-Anhalt as part of a longer path toward national power, with party leaders looking ahead to Germany’s 2029 federal election.
For now, the AfD has won the election but not yet the government.
Its 39 seats leave it tantalisingly close to a majority, while the refusal of most other parties to cooperate means Saxony-Anhalt could face complex negotiations before its next government takes shape.
