AfD victory in Saxony-Anhalt puts Merz and Germany’s centre under pressure
The reported result in the eastern state marks a major setback for Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with early figures showing the AfD well ahead of his conservatives.
The far-right Alternative for Germany has been reported to have won a major victory in Saxony-Anhalt, dealing a significant political setback to Chancellor Friedrich Merz and weakening Germany’s political centre.
The Financial Times described the result as a “stunning” AfD victory and said it showed the country’s political centre was crumbling. The election was closely watched as a test of the party’s support in eastern Germany.
Exit-poll figures reported by France 24 and the Financial Times put the AfD at about 44 per cent to 44.5 per cent of the vote, compared with roughly 18.5 per cent for Merz’s conservatives.
Those figures were based on exit polling or projections and had not been certified as final results. The supplied reports do not include final vote totals, turnout or the implications for forming a government.
Before the election, polling had placed the AfD at just over 40 per cent, ahead of Merz’s Christian Democratic Union at about 23 per cent. The reported result underscores the challenge facing established parties in the eastern German state.
