- Far-right party wins 43.8% of vote, leaving Germany’s mainstream parties facing a difficult coalition challenge
MAGDEBURG, Germany: Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) secured a sweeping victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, emerging as the strongest political force but falling short of the outright majority it needed to form the country’s first far-right state government since World War II.
The result marks a major breakthrough for the anti-immigration and Russia-friendly party, while delivering a severe setback to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which has governed the state for the past 24 years.
AfD won 43.8% of the vote, more than twice its share in the previous state election five years ago. The party secured 39 seats in the 83-member state parliament, leaving it three seats short of the 42 required for an absolute majority.
AfD’s candidate for state premier, 35-year-old Ulrich Siegmund, declared that the party had “written history” and received a clear mandate from voters to govern.
Speaking to public broadcaster ARD, Siegmund said the election had sent a message that “things cannot carry on like this,” and credited Merz himself with helping AfD’s campaign.
AfD Falls Short of Governing Alone
AfD had campaigned for an outright majority that would have allowed it to govern without coalition partners and overcome Germany’s longstanding political “firewall” — the refusal of mainstream parties to cooperate with the far right.
With no majority, however, the party faces the prospect of remaining in opposition despite its dominant electoral position.
Siegmund ruled out forming a minority government, saying AfD would not engage in political “games.” At the same time, the fragmented opposition faces a difficult task in assembling a stable governing coalition without AfD support.
The election result nevertheless represents the biggest political prize yet for AfD, which was founded 13 years ago and has emerged as Germany’s largest opposition force in the federal parliament.
Whether or not it ultimately enters government, the result represents a significant blow to Merz’s CDU, which suffered a dramatic decline in support.
CDU Suffers Major Setback
The CDU won 17.2% of the vote, roughly half its previous level, securing 15 seats. The Social Democrats received 9.3%, the Greens 8.9% and the Left Party 8.6%, with each winning eight seats.
The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) secured 5.3% and five seats. The party has ruled out electing either Siegmund or incumbent state premier Sven Schulze, while also criticizing the established political firewall against AfD.
Voter turnout reached 77.8%, significantly increasing the political significance of the result and indicating that AfD succeeded in mobilizing voters who had previously stayed away from the polls.
AfD national co-leader Alice Weidel described the outcome as “sensational” and said the party was prepared to work with anyone seeking to improve Saxony-Anhalt and “move Germany forward.”
Schulze acknowledged AfD’s emergence as the state’s strongest political force, saying the CDU would have to “deal with this result,” although he did not outline a specific strategy for forming a government.
Mainstream Parties Reject Cooperation
Despite the electoral setback, the CDU showed no sign of abandoning its refusal to cooperate with AfD.
Franziska Hoppermann, the CDU’s national general secretary, described AfD as a right-wing extremist party and rejected any prospect of collaboration.
She cited AfD’s positions on the euro, its relationship with Russia and its proposals for changing Germany’s social model as reasons for maintaining the party’s exclusion from government.
Any effort by Schulze to build a coalition capable of excluding AfD could prove politically complicated. Such an alliance could require at least tacit support from the Left Party — a party with which the CDU has traditionally refused to form coalitions.
AfD’s Growing Influence in Eastern Germany
AfD has its strongest support in Germany’s former communist eastern states, where economic disparities, migration concerns and dissatisfaction with established political parties have helped fuel its rise.
Its Saxony-Anhalt branch is among several AfD regional organizations classified by Germany’s domestic intelligence service as confirmed right-wing extremist organizations. Authorities have cited, among other concerns, the denigration of migrants from predominantly Muslim countries.
AfD rejects accusations of extremism and argues that efforts to monitor or restrict the party are politically motivated.
The party advocates what it calls “remigration,” including the deportation of immigrants, and has taken a strongly critical position toward Germany’s support for Ukraine and Western sanctions against Russia.
Powerful State Government, Limited Federal Influence
Germany’s 16 states wield substantial authority, particularly over education and aspects of internal security, making control of a state government politically significant.
Siegmund has pledged to prioritize what he calls a “deportation offensive”, reduce incentives for migration and crack down on what he describes as abuse of Germany’s welfare system.
AfD also supports allowing homeschooling, which is generally prohibited in Germany, and opposes schools formally displaying the rainbow flag. The party says schools should instead emphasize the traditional family and national symbols.
On foreign policy, AfD opposes the use of taxpayer money to support Ukraine and favors lifting sanctions against Russia. Such decisions, however, fall primarily under the authority of Germany’s federal government rather than individual state administrations.
Saxony-Anhalt’s political influence extends to the Bundesrat, Germany’s upper house, where state governments participate in federal legislation. But as one of the country’s smaller states, it holds only four of the chamber’s 69 votes.
The election therefore gives AfD a powerful political platform at the state level, but its ability to translate the victory into governing power remains uncertain.
BY: The Times Union
