Far-right AfD wins historic 44% in Germany's Saxony-Anhalt election
Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt's state election, finishing far ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives but falling short of an outright majority, Reuters reported.
The result puts the AfD within reach of governing a German state for the first time since World War II. However, Germany's mainstream parties have refused to cooperate with the AfD, leaving it unclear whether the party can form a government.
Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) finished a distant second with 17.2% of the vote. Turnout reached 77%, according to broadcaster ZDF.
The result is also a major setback for Merz's federal government. An ARD poll cited by Reuters found that 87% of voters in Saxony-Anhalt were dissatisfied with the federal government.
The AfD, which is currently Germany's most popular party nationally, advocates strict restrictions on immigration, restoring ties with Russia and cutting support for Ukraine. Its Saxony-Anhalt branch has been classified as right-wing extremist by the local office of Germany's domestic intelligence service.
AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund called the result historic and has portrayed victory in Saxony-Anhalt as a step toward winning power nationally in Germany's 2029 federal election.
The party's state platform includes tougher immigration policies, segregated classes for refugee children, more Russian-language teaching in schools and a halt to the construction of new wind farms.
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