Far-right AfD wins election in German state of Saxony-Anhalt
Berlin (ANTARA) - The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party achieved a major victory in the state election in Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany, winning 43.8% of the vote, though not enough to govern alone.
Meanwhile, the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, was defeated with only 17.2% of the vote in the state election, according to preliminary results.
The Saxony-Anhalt state election authority said all ballots had been counted following Sunday’s vote (6/9).
With this result, the AfD doubled its share of support from the 20.8% it won in the 2021 election, recording its strongest ever performance in a German state election.
The vote gives the AfD 39 of the 83 seats in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament, just short of the 42 seats needed to govern on its own.
With all other political parties refusing to form a coalition with the AfD, the election could lead to political uncertainty and prolonged talks to form a state government.
Turnout in the Saxony-Anhalt election rose from 60.3% in 2021 to 77.8% this time, the highest in the state’s history.
“We have achieved what we wanted. We are making history in this state,” said the AfD’s lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, in a television interview.
He said change would come “only with those who support the AfD’s demands for a clear change in policy” and would emerge “through the parliamentary faction or individual legislators”.
Asked what he would do if no partner was willing to work with the party to govern the state, Siegmund said: “if necessary, just hold another election”.
Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) came third with 9.3% of the vote, one of its worst performances in a Saxony-Anhalt election.
The Green Party followed with 8.9%, while the socialist Left Party won 8.6%. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) cleared the 5% parliamentary threshold with 5.3%, entitling it to seats in the legislature.
Meanwhile, the Free Democratic Party (FDP), a coalition partner in the previous government, failed to enter parliament after winning just 2.6%.
Merz’s CDU managed only 15 seats, collapsing from the 40 it won in the 2021 election. The Greens, the SPD and the Left Party each received eight seats, and the BSW won five.
All parties other than the AfD together hold 44 seats in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament.
The results offer no clarity on what kind of new government might be formed in Saxony-Anhalt.
A coalition of the CDU, the SPD and the Greens would command only 31 seats. Even with the additional support of the Left Party, they would hold just 39 seats, still below the 42-seat majority threshold.
The AfD could only reach a majority position in the state parliament with the backing of the BSW. That party has several options: supporting an AfD candidate for state premier, backing a CDU-endorsed candidate, or abstaining.
From the third round of voting for the Saxony-Anhalt premiership in parliament, the winner only needs a plurality of votes, not an outright majority.
Party leaders are expected to set out their positions this week, with initial exploratory coalition talks potentially beginning in the coming days.
Germany’s domestic intelligence service has classified the AfD’s branch in the state as a “right-wing extremist organisation”, citing members’ support for a racist and ethnically based national identity incompatible with Germany’s constitutional democratic order.
Other parties in Germany cite the intelligence findings as grounds for refusing to work with the AfD.