AfD closes in on state power after Saxony-Anhalt election win
The far-right party won about 44 per cent of the vote but remains three seats short of a majority, leaving its governing bid dependent on other parties or defections.
Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany has emerged as the dominant force in Saxony-Anhalt’s regional election, winning about 44 per cent of the vote and finishing well ahead of the Christian Democrats.
Provisional results project the AfD to hold 39 of the state parliament’s 83 seats, three short of the 42 required for a majority. The result does not itself give the party control of the government, and no governing arrangement has been confirmed.
AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund said talks had begun to secure a governing majority, potentially through support from the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance or individual CDU MPs. The BSW is a left-populist, immigration-sceptic and Russia-friendly party with particular support in eastern Germany.
The state parliament is expected to vote by secret ballot on a minister-president within 30 days. Whether the AfD can prevail may depend on abstentions, cross-party support or MPs breaking with their parties.
The result is the closest a far-right party has come to leading a regional government in Germany since the Second World War. Germany has maintained a political firewall against cooperation with the far right, while the AfD is classified as right-wing extremist in Saxony-Anhalt.
France 24 reported that an Aston University specialist linked the AfD’s support to economic dissatisfaction, lower formal qualifications and eastern German opposition to Germany’s backing for Ukraine. Potential state-level changes identified in the report include revisions to school curricula, disability education, church funding and public broadcasting arrangements.
