Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has recorded a major victory in the regional election in Saxony-Anhalt, but the party fell short of the majority needed to govern the eastern state alone.
The result leaves AfD three seats short of controlling the 83-member state parliament, despite securing its strongest performance in the state’s history and moving closer to its goal of forming Germany’s first far-right state government since World War II.
AfD’s top candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, 35, declared the result historic and said the party had received a clear mandate from voters.
“We have written history,” Siegmund said, adding that voters had sent a message that “things cannot carry on like this.”
He also credited German Chancellor Friedrich Merz with helping AfD during the campaign.
“A very good campaigner for us in this election campaign was Friedrich Merz,” Siegmund said.
AfD won 43.8% of the vote in the state, which has a population of about 2.1 million, more than twice the support it received in the previous regional election five years ago.
Merz’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which has governed Saxony-Anhalt for 24 years, suffered a major setback, receiving 17.2% and securing 15 seats.
The Social Democrats won 9.3%, the Greens 8.9% and the Left Party 8.6%, with each party taking eight seats.
The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) secured 5.3% and five seats.
Overall turnout reached 77.8%, with AfD appearing to attract a significant number of voters who had stayed away from the previous election.
AfD secured 39 seats, leaving it three short of the 42 required for a majority.
Siegmund ruled out forming a minority government, saying the party would not engage in “games” over governing arrangements.
Despite falling short of an outright majority, AfD’s result presents a major challenge to its political opponents, who have traditionally maintained a so-called firewall against cooperating with the far-right party.
The party’s national co-leader, Alice Weidel, described the result as “sensational” and suggested AfD could seek support from politicians in other parties.
“The hand is outstretched to all who want to make Saxony-Anhalt better and move Germany forward,” Weidel said.
Incumbent governor Sven Schulze congratulated AfD for emerging as the strongest political force in the state and acknowledged that the CDU would need to respond to the outcome.
“We as the CDU will also have to deal with this result,” Schulze said.
However, Franziska Hoppermann, the CDU’s national general secretary, rejected any suggestion that the party should abandon its refusal to cooperate with AfD.
“AfD is a right-wing extremist party. It wants to leave the euro; that would be economic downfall … it works closely together with Russia, it wants a completely different social model,” she said.
“We will not work with them.”
AfD’s breakthrough comes amid widespread dissatisfaction with Germany’s national government and concerns about the country’s sluggish economy.
The party, which opposes immigration and supports closer relations with Russia, is the largest opposition force in Germany’s federal parliament and has its strongest support in the formerly communist eastern states.
Saxony-Anhalt is also one of several regions where the domestic intelligence agency has classified the AfD branch as a proven right-wing extremist organisation. Authorities have pointed to statements by members concerning migrants from predominantly Muslim countries.
AfD rejects the accusations, describing them as politically motivated.
The party has promoted the concept of “remigration”, a politically controversial term associated with the deportation of immigrants. Its leader in a neighbouring state has also appealed convictions linked to the use of a Nazi slogan.
Siegmund has made tougher deportation measures one of his priorities, including what he calls “a deportation offensive”. He also wants to remove incentives for migrants to come to Germany and “exploit our social system.”
The AfD candidate has proposed beginning a lengthy process to withdraw Saxony-Anhalt from the regional public broadcaster, citing concerns about “disinformation.”
The party’s regional programme also supports allowing home schooling, which is currently not permitted in Germany, and proposes preventing schools from officially displaying the rainbow flag, arguing that it “stands for the devaluation of the family.”
AfD also opposes taxpayer money being “given away” to Ukraine and supports lifting sanctions against Russia, although state governments do not have the authority to determine Germany’s foreign policy.
The election is particularly significant because Germany’s 16 states have considerable powers, including responsibility for areas such as education and aspects of security.
Their governments also sit in the Bundesrat, Germany’s upper house, where they vote on certain federal legislation.
Saxony-Anhalt, however, has limited influence in the chamber because it controls only four of the 69 votes.
AfD previously won a state election in neighbouring Thuringia in 2024 but did not take power. The CDU ultimately formed a minority government there, although AfD had fallen considerably further short of a majority.
Any attempt by Schulze to build an alliance to keep AfD out of government in Saxony-Anhalt could prove difficult, as it may require support from the Left Party, with which the CDU refuses to form a coalition.
The result therefore leaves Saxony-Anhalt facing a potentially complicated political battle over who will govern the state.
