
13 days · 14 summary articles
Germans in Saxony-Anhalt voted on Sunday in a state election that polls projected would hand the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) a historic victory, potentially securing the party’s first absolute majority in a regional parliament since World War II.
The AfD led pre-election surveys with 40% to 43% support, nearly double the 22% to 23% for Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), according to polls conducted for public broadcasters ZDF and ARD. With 42% support in some projections, the AfD could win 41 seats in the 83-member parliament, just one short of an outright majority .
AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund, the party’s top contender, framed the vote as the start of a “blue wave” and vowed to assume government responsibility even with a single-seat majority . The CDU, which has governed Saxony-Anhalt since 2002, ruled out a coalition with the AfD, as did other mainstream parties, leaving the AfD as the only group capable of forming a government if it secures an absolute majority .
Ahead of the vote, thousands gathered in Magdeburg on Saturday to protest the AfD’s rise, with demonstrators carrying signs reading “No to Nazis, never again” and warning of a return to Germany’s darkest years . Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Berlin was preparing mechanisms to cut off a potential AfD-led government from federal resources, including intelligence-sharing networks .
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