The Alternative for Germany (AfD) won approximately 44 to 44.5 percent of the vote in the Saxony-Anhalt state election held today, outpacing the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which fell to 18.5 percent [1, 2, 3]. This result represents the strongest showing ever for a far-right party in a German state since World War II [1, 2, 3].
AfD’s regional branch in Saxony-Anhalt, a state with about 2.1 million inhabitants located in former East Germany, is classified by German domestic intelligence as far-right extremist. AfD leader Ulrich Siegmund rejected that label and said, "We have written history" and called the result "also a signal toward Berlin." He added, "Things cannot carry on like this" [1, 3]. Siegmund refused to cooperate with other parties to form a coalition government [1].
The CDU, led nationally by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, faced a heavy loss in its long-held stronghold, dropping to 18.5 percent [1, 2, 3]. Franziska Hoppermann, the CDU’s general secretary, condemned AfD as a "right-wing extremist party" that "wants to leave the euro; that would be economic downfall ... it works closely together with Russia, it wants a completely different social model. We will not work with them." [3]
The AfD campaign centered on restricting immigration, restoring ties with Russia, reducing support to Ukraine, and advocating for Germany to exit the euro currency [2, 3]. Saxony-Anhalt’s election reflected broad public dissatisfaction with the ruling coalition’s handling of the economy across Germany [2, 3].
AfD is currently Germany’s most popular party nationally, especially strong in the eastern states, including Saxony-Anhalt [2, 3]. It remains unconfirmed whether the AfD has an outright majority or can secure coalition partners to govern the state [1, 3].
The Saxony-Anhalt parliament will begin post-election negotiations in the coming days to determine the government formation.
