The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has secured a historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt, emerging as the largest party in Sunday’s state election and moving closer to wielding power at state level for the first time since World War Two.
Exit polls showed the far-right party winning 44 per cent of the vote, delivering a major setback to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives and highlighting widespread dissatisfaction with Germany’s governing coalition.
The result comes as the AfD, already Germany’s most popular party nationally, seeks to expand its influence and advance policies including tougher immigration restrictions, restoring ties with Russia, reducing support for Ukraine and withdrawing from the euro.
With counting continuing, it remained unclear whether the AfD could form a government, but the scale of its victory carried significant political implications. Turnout was about 77 per cent, according to broadcaster ZDF.
AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund, 35, described the result as a landmark achievement after drawing thousands to campaign rallies across the state.
“We have made history in this country,” Siegmund said.
He said the result showed voters were demanding a political shift and backing the AfD to deliver it.
“The people have made it absolutely clear that they finally want political change and, above all, they have shown that they want it with us,” Siegmund said.
The result represents a significant blow to Merz, whose approval ratings have fallen sharply amid voter frustration over his proposed economic reforms and communication style.
An ARD poll found that 87 per cent of voters in Saxony-Anhalt were dissatisfied with the federal government, while Marcel Fratzscher, president of the German Institute for Economic Research, described the result as a direct rebuke of Berlin.
“This election result is, above all, a vote of no confidence in the federal government,” Fratzscher told Reuters.
Merz has pledged to revive Europe’s largest economy through business-friendly reforms and increased spending, while warning that an AfD victory could damage Saxony-Anhalt and discourage foreign investment.
Germany’s established political parties have ruled out forming coalitions with the AfD, which has been classified as right-wing extremist by the local office of Germany’s domestic intelligence service.
The small Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), however, appeared likely to cross the threshold for parliamentary representation and has suggested a non-partisan state premier could govern with shifting majorities, potentially including AfD support.
Siegmund rejected the proposal, describing it as a “mess” and ruling out arrangements that would prevent the AfD from implementing its agenda.
“If push comes to shove, there will simply be new elections,” he said.
Merz’s conservatives said they would explore talks with other parties, potentially requiring a coalition involving groups with sharply different political positions.
Saxony-Anhalt, a former part of Communist-ruled East Germany, has a population of just over two million but has become a significant battleground for the AfD’s growing influence.
The party was founded in 2013 and is now Germany’s most popular nationally, with a recent INSA poll putting it at 28 per cent, ahead of the conservatives on 20 per cent.
The AfD’s rise remains particularly contentious in Germany because of the country’s Nazi past, which has contributed to mainstream parties’ refusal to cooperate with it.
The party has rejected accusations of extremism, describing them as attempts to frighten voters and insult its supporters.
During the campaign, the AfD capitalised on dissatisfaction with established parties, promoting hardline policies on immigration, public safety and national identity.
“It is clear that we need change in Germany and in Western Europe. And I believe a starting signal is definitely going out from here – whether you like it or not,” said Antony Lee, an AfD supporter attending the party’s election event.
“I am a father, I am an entrepreneur, and I know that things cannot continue like this in Germany.”
The AfD’s programme includes pushing schools and cultural institutions towards what it considers traditional values, restricting immigration and overhauling public broadcasting.
It also proposes segregated classes for children of refugees, banning rainbow flags in schools and requiring the German national flag to be displayed daily.
Other proposals include singing the national anthem at school celebrations, citizen patrols, increased Russian-language teaching and a halt to the construction of new wind farms.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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