AfD leads Saxony-Anhalt vote as path to power remains unresolved
Early results put the far-right party on about 44 per cent, but final seats and coalition options are still unclear.
Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) has finished first in early results from Saxony-Anhalt’s regional election, taking about 44 per cent of the vote, according to Al Jazeera Global News.
The result brings the far-right party closer to leading a German state for the first time since World War II. It also renews debate over Germany’s immigration policy and its role in Europe, as the AfD continues to lead national polls.
The party’s support has been linked in the source material to economic concerns and growing anger over immigration. Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has classified the AfD’s Saxony-Anhalt branch as a proven right-wing extremist group, a designation the party rejects.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has said there will be no co-operation with the AfD. Mainstream parties have maintained a political “firewall” against forming coalitions with the far-right, although it remains unclear whether that position will hold during negotiations.
The early figures do not establish that the AfD has secured a governing majority. Final results, the distribution of seats and possible coalition arrangements remain unresolved, and the party has not formed a government.
