Germany's right-wing AfD seeks landmark state victory as Saxony-Anhalt votes
- On Sunday, September 6, 2026, voters in Saxony-Anhalt cast ballots in a high-stakes election where polls place the far-right Alternative for Germany at 41%, potentially securing its first state government.
- Government commissioner for eastern Germany Elisabeth Kaiser attributes the AfD's appeal to lingering economic disparities from 1990 reunification, as voters recall the 'baseball bat years' and feelings of being 'disadvantaged and not seen.'
- Mainstream parties maintain a 'firewall' refusing cooperation with the AfD, though the party could bypass this by securing an absolute majority if smaller parties fail to clear the 5% parliamentary threshold.
- Falling short of an absolute majority would leave the Christian Democratic Union in a difficult position, as incumbent state premier Sven Schulze has ruled out cooperation with the AfD and faces coalition constraints.
- AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund frames the election as a 'stepping stone' toward 2029 national power, though security officials warn that an AfD interior minister could pose a 'glaring security risk' for Germany.
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540 Articles
Jyllands-Posten
Kristeligt DagbladForecasts show 44 percent for the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt, and the lead candidate believes the party is making history.
According to initial projections, the party will secure 44 percent of the vote, but it will be difficult to form a majority government in the state parliament. For Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU, the result is a hard blow.
<p>The AfD party won a historic victory in Germany's land elections The AfD won 44.5% of the vote in the elections in Saxony-Anhalt against 20.8% in 2021. Mertz's CDU received 18.5%.</p>
AfD projected to score historic victory in German state election, but path to power remains unclear
The Saxony-Anhalt election represents a major breakthrough for AfD and a significant setback for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU. With approximately 44% of the vote, AfD has demonstrated that it has become a dominant political force in the eastern German state.
German far-right party set for strong win in regional election but uncertain of governing
Alternative for Germany, or AfD, went into the vote seeking an absolute majority in the state legislature to govern on its own. That would overcome the so-called firewall of mainstream parties’ refusal to work with AfD.
According to the first estimates, AfD has won more than 44% of the vote in this land of ex-RDA, where participation has been very high. It may lack a handful of seats the absolute majority, but the federal government of Friedrich Merz is suffering a major defeat.
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