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AfD Wins Record 43.8 Percent in Saxony-Anhalt, Falls Short of Majority
(MENAFN) Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party claimed victory in Sunday's Saxony-Anhalt state election, capturing a record 43.8% of the vote but narrowly missing the threshold needed to govern outright, according to preliminary official results. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) collapsed to a historic low of just 17.2%.
The state election authority confirmed all ballots had been tallied. The AfD's showing more than doubled its 2021 result of 20.8%, marking its strongest performance in any German state election to date. The party secured 39 of 83 seats in the Magdeburg parliament — three shy of the 42-seat majority required. Since every other major party has ruled out forming a coalition with the AfD, the result leaves the state facing political uncertainty and protracted government-formation talks.
Voter turnout reached 77.8%, sharply up from 60.3% in 2021 and the highest recorded in the state since German reunification.
"We have achieved exactly what we set out to achieve. We have made history in this country," AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund told public television.
He said the party would only cooperate "with those who support the AfD's demand for a clear change in policy," whether that came "through a parliamentary group or through individual deputies." Pressed on what would happen should no coalition partner emerge, he warned: "If necessary, there will just be new elections."
The Social Democrats (SPD) placed third with 9.3% — among their weakest results in any eastern German state. The Greens followed at 8.9%, and the socialist Left Party took 8.6%. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) cleared the 5% threshold with 5.3%, securing entry into the new parliament. The Free Democrats, junior partners in the outgoing coalition government, failed to qualify, drawing just 2.6%.
Merz's CDU dropped to 15 seats, down sharply from 40 in 2021. The Greens, SPD and Left Party each won eight seats, while the left-wing populist BSW picked up five. The remaining seats — 44 in total — are held by other parties.
The arithmetic leaves no obvious route to a governing majority. A three-way coalition of the CDU, SPD and Greens would control 31 seats. Bringing in the Left Party would push that bloc to 39 — still short of the 42-seat threshold. The AfD could only reach a majority with BSW backing. The BSW, for its part, could throw support behind an AfD candidate, back a CDU-aligned contender, or abstain altogether. Notably, a third round of voting for state premier requires only a plurality, not an outright majority.
Party leaders are expected to lay out their positions this week, with exploratory coalition talks likely to begin within days.
Germany's domestic intelligence agency has designated the AfD's regional branch a proven right-wing extremist organization, asserting that elements within the party promote a racist, ethnic conception of national identity incompatible with the country's democratic constitutional order. Mainstream parties have repeatedly cited that assessment to justify their continued refusal to govern alongside the AfD.
The state election authority confirmed all ballots had been tallied. The AfD's showing more than doubled its 2021 result of 20.8%, marking its strongest performance in any German state election to date. The party secured 39 of 83 seats in the Magdeburg parliament — three shy of the 42-seat majority required. Since every other major party has ruled out forming a coalition with the AfD, the result leaves the state facing political uncertainty and protracted government-formation talks.
Voter turnout reached 77.8%, sharply up from 60.3% in 2021 and the highest recorded in the state since German reunification.
"We have achieved exactly what we set out to achieve. We have made history in this country," AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund told public television.
He said the party would only cooperate "with those who support the AfD's demand for a clear change in policy," whether that came "through a parliamentary group or through individual deputies." Pressed on what would happen should no coalition partner emerge, he warned: "If necessary, there will just be new elections."
The Social Democrats (SPD) placed third with 9.3% — among their weakest results in any eastern German state. The Greens followed at 8.9%, and the socialist Left Party took 8.6%. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) cleared the 5% threshold with 5.3%, securing entry into the new parliament. The Free Democrats, junior partners in the outgoing coalition government, failed to qualify, drawing just 2.6%.
Merz's CDU dropped to 15 seats, down sharply from 40 in 2021. The Greens, SPD and Left Party each won eight seats, while the left-wing populist BSW picked up five. The remaining seats — 44 in total — are held by other parties.
The arithmetic leaves no obvious route to a governing majority. A three-way coalition of the CDU, SPD and Greens would control 31 seats. Bringing in the Left Party would push that bloc to 39 — still short of the 42-seat threshold. The AfD could only reach a majority with BSW backing. The BSW, for its part, could throw support behind an AfD candidate, back a CDU-aligned contender, or abstain altogether. Notably, a third round of voting for state premier requires only a plurality, not an outright majority.
Party leaders are expected to lay out their positions this week, with exploratory coalition talks likely to begin within days.
Germany's domestic intelligence agency has designated the AfD's regional branch a proven right-wing extremist organization, asserting that elements within the party promote a racist, ethnic conception of national identity incompatible with the country's democratic constitutional order. Mainstream parties have repeatedly cited that assessment to justify their continued refusal to govern alongside the AfD.
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