AfD wins Saxony-Anhalt state election with 44.4% of vote, set to lead Germanys first far-right regional government since WWII
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Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won a historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt’s state election on Sunday, securing 44.4% of the vote and positioning itself to form the country’s first far-right-led regional government since World War II, according to exit polls from ARD and ZDF broadcasters.
The AfD’s lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, declared the result a mandate to govern, telling supporters, “We have made history in this country.” The party more than doubled its 2021 vote share, far outpacing Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU, which garnered just 18.3%—its worst performance in the state. The center-left SPD, Greens, and far-left BSW also cleared the 5% threshold to enter parliament, though the BSW’s final seat count remained uncertain.
With 83 seats in the state parliament, the AfD’s projected 39 seats left it just short of an absolute majority, which requires 42. The party’s co-leader, Alice Weidel, called the outcome “historic” but acknowledged the need for coalition talks. Mainstream parties have long refused to cooperate with the AfD, which Germany’s domestic intelligence service has classified as right-wing extremist in the state. However, the BSW, which barely crossed the threshold, emerged as a potential partner, though its co-chair, Amira Mohamed Ali, ruled out backing Siegmund as premier.
Siegmund, 35, has pledged to slash support for Ukrainian refugees, restore ties with Russia, and promote restrictive immigration policies. His election would grant the AfD a seat in the Bundesrat, Germany’s upper house, for the first time, amplifying its influence on national legislation. The result underscores the AfD’s rise as Germany’s most popular party nationally, polling at 28% ahead of the CDU’s 20%, particularly in eastern regions like Saxony-Anhalt.
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Articles
Germanys far-right AfD set for big win in eastern state, just short of majority Germanys AfD has hailed a "historic result" and is projected to win 44 of the vote, far ahead of the conservatives on 17.
bbc · 2 days ago
Far-right AfD wins historic victory in German state election The Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged into first place in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, exit polls showed, putting a far-right party on the cusp of power…
japantoday · 2 days ago
AfD claims historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt vote Leaders of Germanys far-right AfD on Sunday hailed their partys projected victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election as a clear mandate to govern, warning that Chancellor Friedrich Merzs CDU would face electoral decline if it maintained its firewall against cooperation with the nationalist party.
yenisafak · 2 days ago
Germany: Saxony-Anhalt regional parliament election today 🇩🇪 🇪🇺 Age group: 18-25 years AfD-ESN: 42 (+24) LINKE-LEFT: 17 (+6) GRÜNE-Greens/EFA: 13 (-2) SPD-S&D: 8 (+2) BSW-NI: 6 (new) CDU-EPP: 5 (-13) FDP-RE: 2 (-10) Infratest dimap exit poll #ltwst #ltwlsa Explore:
telegram_Europe Elects · 2 days ago
Germanys Far Right Just Misses Majority in Crucial State Election The Alternative for Germany, or AfD, trounced its rivals but was left unsure if it will be able to govern in Saxony-Anhalt. The result shocked Germany.
new york times · 2 days ago
Can AfD form Germanys first far-right state government since World War II? Germanys far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is projected to win a regional election in Saxony-Anhalt.
aljazeera · 2 days ago
⚡️Germanys far-right, pro-Russia party on brink of winning majority in key regional election. The latest projections show AfD leading in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt with around 44.2 of the vote, a result that could earn the party an absolute majority in the states 83-seat parliament.
bluesky_Kyiv Independent · 2 days ago
AfD just won 44 in a German state. Now Germanys firewall faces its biggest test. Germanys far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won a record 44 in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, leaving a small party with seats that could determine whether it can lead the nations first far-right state government since World War II.Why it matters: Germany rebuilt its democracy after Nazi rule with unusually strong safeguards against extremism. AfDs breakthrough shows those barriers arent stopping Europes far right from becoming dominant electoral forces.The latest: AfD more than doubled its 20.8 share in 2021, hitting its highest vote share ever in a state election and finishing ahead of the center-right CDU at 17.BSW, the party that hasnt ruled out working with the AfD, barely cleared the 5 threshold parties need for parliamentary representation.Together, AfD and BSW would hold 43 seats, one more than a majority.BSW, a populist party, combines far-left economics with far-right migration policies and calls for closer ties to Russia. Yes, but: The arithmetic may not be enough.BSW co-chair Amira Mohamed Ali said Sunday the party would neither vote for AfDs Ulrich Siegmund nor CDU Premier Sven Schulze. Instead, she wants a nonpartisan premier who would govern with BSW and AfD.This would require support from AfD, but Siegmund rejected the idea.Siegmund suggested Sunday he may persuade some lawmakers to switch parties to help him secure a majority.Catch up quick: AfD has won the most votes once before, in 2024, but it has never governed.In 2024, it finished first in Thuringia, marking the first far-right victory since World War II, but other parties kept it out of government. Sundays result is AfDs strongest.Flashback: Trump allies support for the far-right party became a transatlantic flashpoint during Germanys 2025 federal election.Elon Musk boosted the AfD on X, saying "only the AfD can save Germany," and he appeared by video at an AfD campaign rally.Vice President JD Vance met with AfDs leader just before that election and told the Munich Security Conference there was "no room for firewalls," a reference to mainstream parties stance against governing with the AfD.Between the lines: Saxony-Anhalts intelligence service has classified the state AfD as a right-wing extremist organization.Siegmund, AfDs 35-year-old candidate for Saxony-Anhalts premier, has drawn scrutiny over his treatment of Germanys Nazi past.At AfD events, an emcee has shouted "Sieg!" and supporters answered "Mund!" — splitting his surname into a call-and-response that the head of Germanys Central Council of Jews says evokes Nazi chants.Siegmund declined to call the Holocaust humanitys worst crime, saying he would not presume to rank all crimes.The big picture: Europes far right is moving in sharply different directions.Hungarys Viktor Orbán lost power after 16 years this spring, yet Italys Giorgia Meloni leads the countrys longest-serving uninterrupted postwar government.In France, far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen is the early front-runner for the 2027 presidential election.Context: Germanys postwar system was built in the shadow of the Nazis destruction of the democratic Weimar Republic.The 1949 Basic Law embraces the concept of a "militant democracy" to defend against movements that seek to abolish the constitutional order.Whats inside: The AfD laid out a program for how it would use state power:Rewrite the mandate of the state intelligence service that investigated the party.Allow homeschooling, give the government greater control over which textbooks schools can use and end its public broadcasting agreement with neighboring states.Create a deportation task force.Require state-funded organizations to demonstrate a "patriotic basic attitude."What were watching: German officials, including the defense minister, have floated limiting intelligence sharing over concerns about AfDs ties to Russia.
axios · 2 days ago
Far-right AfD party set for big win in key Germany state, exit polls show It was however too early tell whether the AfD will have enough votes for an absolute majority that would allow it to govern a state alone for the first time.
thejournal · 2 days ago
Far-right AfD set for historic win in crucial German state election, exit polls show It remains unclear as to whether the party will be able to form a government and become the first far-right party to gain power at regional or parliament level since the Second World War
independent · 2 days ago
Germanys far-right AfD landslide winner in key Saxony-Anhalt vote, early results suggest Germanys far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party headed towards a landslide victory in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, with 44.5 percent of the vote, early results showed. But despite the scale of its projected win, it was not immediately clear whether AfD would be able to form Germanys first far-right state government since World War II.
france24 · 2 days ago
German far-right AfD wins by a landslide in Saxony-Anhalt: exit polls If the AfD manages to form a government, it would be the first far-right party to lead a German state since World War II
euronews · 2 days ago
🇩🇪 Germanys far-right AfD won key regional elections Sunday by a landslide with at least 44 percent of the vote in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, according to exit polls by two public broadcasters.
bluesky_AFP English · 2 days ago
Germanys far-right AfD is landslide winner in Saxony-Anhalt vote, exit polls indicate Germanys far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won a landslide victory in a key regional election on Sunday in the ex-communist east, according to exit polls, but it remains unclear whether it can win an absolute majority to govern. We have made history today, said a jubilant Ulrich Siegmund, the 35-year-old lead candidate of the anti-immigration AfD in Saxony-Anhalt state, as the vote count continued. The AfD won at least 44 per cent, more than doubling its support, and far ahead of the...
south china morning post · 2 days ago
🇩🇪🗳- Exit polling from ARD and ZDF indicates a major victory for the right-wing AfD in Saxony-Anhalt, with ZDF projecting the party at approximately 44 of the vote. ▶️ The SPD is projected at around 8, while Die Linke stands at approximately 9. The Greens and BSW are hovering around the critical 5 threshold required to enter the state parliament, while the FDP is projected below the threshold. ▶️ The result represents a major increase for the AfD, which received 20.8 in the 2021 election. Pre-election polling had already placed the party at roughly 41–42, substantially ahead of the CDU. ▶️ Whether the AfD can secure an absolute parliamentary majority will depend heavily on the final results and, crucially, how many smaller parties clear the 5 threshold. A large share of votes going to parties that fail to enter parliament would lower the effective vote share required for a majority of seats. @GeoPWatch
telegram_GeoPWatch · 2 days ago
Germany: Saxony-Anhalt regional parliament election today 🇩🇪 🇪🇺 Infratest dimap projection (mix of exit polls and initial results) shows the left-conservative BSW (NI) at the 5 threshold. If BSW misses the threshold, the far-right AfD (ESN) would be one seat away from a majority. Explore:
telegram_Europe Elects · 2 days ago
Germany: Saxony-Anhalt regional parliament election today 🇩🇪 🇪🇺 Exit polls suggest the far-right AfD (ESN) is getting its best result in a regional parliament election so far. Explore the data:
telegram_Europe Elects · 2 days ago
Germany: Saxony-Anhalt regional parliament election 🇩🇪 🇪🇺 Exit polls show the far-right AfD (ESN) posts the largest gain any party(!) has made in Germany since World War II. The current record is the CDUs 21-point gain in Hamburg, 2004 (excluding parties running for the first time). #ltwst #ltwlsa Explore the data:
telegram_Europe Elects · 2 days ago