AfD wins Saxony-Anhalt election with 43.8%
In Germany, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, receiving 43.8% of the vote. According to preliminary official results cited by Anadolu Agency, AfD secured 39 of the 83 seats in the state parliament in Magdeburg. It fell three seats short of an outright majority.
AfD's record result
In the 2021 election, AfD received 20.8% of the vote, meaning the party more than doubled its result this time. This is its best performance in an election in any German federal state. Turnout stood at 77.8%, compared with 60.3% in 2021, and was the highest in Saxony-Anhalt since Germany's reunification.
AfD's lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, said the party was ready to cooperate only with those who support its demand for a clear change in political course. He also said that new elections were possible if no partner was found.
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Formation of the government
The Christian Democratic Union of Chancellor Friedrich Merz received 17.2% of the vote, a historic low for the party in this state. The CDU will have 15 seats, compared with 40 in 2021. The Social Democratic Party received 9.3%, the Greens 8.9%, and the Left Party 8.6%. Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance cleared the five-percent threshold with 5.3% and won five seats, while the Free Democratic Party, with 2.6%, did not enter parliament.
All other major parties ruled out forming a coalition with AfD. An alliance of the CDU, Social Democrats and Greens would have 31 seats, or 39 with the participation of the Left Party, fewer than the required 42. AfD could secure a majority only with the support of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance. In the third round of voting for state premier, a relative majority is sufficient.
Germany's domestic intelligence service classified AfD's regional branch as a proven right-wing extremist organization. According to the service's assessment, part of the party promotes a racist and ethnic understanding of national identity that is incompatible with the country's democratic constitutional order.
