Far-Right AfD Wins Crushing Victory in German State Election
The anti-immigration party won its biggest regional result yet and left coalition talks uncertain after falling three seats short of an absolute majority, broadcasters said.
- On Sunday, the AfD secured 44 percent of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt, marking its largest victory yet, while the centre-right CDU received about 18 percent, suffering a historic defeat in a state it led for 24 years.
- Once a eurosceptic protest party, the AfD transformed into an anti-immigration force railing against former Chancellor Angela Merkel's policies, putting the party within reach of running its first-ever state government.
- Projections indicate the AfD fell just three seats short of an absolute majority of 42 in the regional parliament, though lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund said his party "made history" and urged coalition talks.
- Within the CDU, Dennis Radtke called the vote a "watershed moment," dismissing standard platitudes about the loss, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faces renewed pressure regarding his strategy to push back against the party's growth.
- National co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla view the Saxony-Anhalt result as a blueprint for national elections in 2029, while the tiny BSW party could act as kingmaker if it crosses the five-percent hurdle to enter parliament.
57 Articles
57 Articles
Far-right AfD wins crushing victory in German state election
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged into first place in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, exit polls showed, putting it within reach of power at the state level for the first time since World War Two, though falling just short of an overall majority.
This party won the elections on Sunday in an area of eastern Germany, while never a German region had been ruled by the far right since 1945.
The ultra-right parties already participate in seven European governments and lead election polls in France
Saxony-Anhalt, where candidate Ulrich Siegmund of the AfD has won the election with 44%, could only be the first step of an advance of the ultra-right in Europe. An advance that could continue first in Germany. On 20 September the Länder of Berlin and Mecklenburg-Pomerania will go to the polls. In Mecklenburg, Land of the former East Germany that shares [...] The article Effect Saxony: in the year of the elections the identity right aims to brea…
Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party said on Monday that its victory in a federal election on the eve showed Chancellor Friedrich Merz had become a “heavy burden” for the country.
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- 52% of the sources lean Left
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