The far-right AfD won the state election in Saxony-Anhalt with 43.8% of the vote, securing 39 of the 83 seats in the state parliament. Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats (CDU) received 17.2% and 15 seats, effectively losing half of their electoral support.
Voter turnout reached 76.5%, the highest ever recorded in the state.
Among the other parties, the centre-left Social Democrats received 9.3%, the Greens 8.9% and the Left Party 8.6%, with each securing eight seats. The BSW received 5.3% and five seats.
Germany has a federal government and 16 federal states, each with its own government and parliament.
The AfD fell short of an absolute majority, and the other parties say they will not form a coalition with it, maintaining the so-called “firewall” against the party. An AfD-led government would be the first far-right state government in Germany since World War II.
The AfD’s candidate for state premier, Ulrich Siegmund, said “we made history” and that the party had received a clear mandate to govern. Speaking to public broadcaster ARD, he said voters had sent the message that “things cannot continue like this.”
Despite falling short of an absolute majority in Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD is the most popular party nationwide, with 27% support in a recent poll, while the CDU stands at 21%.
Source: The Guardian
