AfD leads Saxony-Anhalt election as path to government remains uncertain
Exit polls put the far-right party on 44.5 per cent, ahead of the CDU on 18.5 per cent, but coalition arithmetic could still block it from power.
Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has taken a commanding lead in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, according to exit polls, but the result does not yet establish that it can form a government.
ARD’s exit poll put the AfD on 44.5 per cent of the vote, more than double the projected result for the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which was on 18.5 per cent. The figures are provisional and have not been certified as final results.
The polling suggested the AfD may have narrowly missed an absolute majority in the state parliament. Its lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, described the outcome as historic, while co-leader Alice Weidel said it gave the party a mandate to govern.
Any government formation will depend on the final seat count and whether the AfD can secure support from other parties. Mainstream German parties have maintained a policy of refusing coalition arrangements with the AfD, commonly known as the “firewall”.
An AfD-led administration would be Germany’s first regional government headed by a far-right party since the Second World War. The CDU’s state leader, Sven Schulze, may instead seek a multi-party coalition to prevent the AfD from governing.
The result also places further pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose coalition has faced difficulties reviving growth and a decline in popularity. The election was held in Saxony-Anhalt, an eastern state with a population of about 2.1 million.
