By Benson Daniel
Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has secured a historic victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, prompting party co-leader Alice Weidel to describe the outcome as a “dream result” and a major signal of growing support for the party.
The AfD won about 44 per cent of the vote in Sunday’s state election, more than doubling its share from the previous election in 2021. The result placed the party well ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which fell to roughly 17 per cent.
The strong performance, however, was not enough to give the AfD an outright majority. The party secured 39 of the 83 seats in the state parliament, leaving it three seats short of the 42 required to govern alone.
Speaking after the results, Weidel said the outcome demonstrated a deep desire among voters for political change and argued that the party’s success could have implications well beyond Saxony-Anhalt. She has also set her sights on making the AfD the strongest political force in Germany at the next federal election.
The party’s leading candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, Ulrich Siegmund, said the result amounted to a clear mandate from voters and insisted that the AfD was prepared to take responsibility for governing the state.
The election represents a major setback for the CDU, which has governed Saxony-Anhalt for more than two decades. The scale of the defeat is also likely to increase pressure on Merz, whose government has faced criticism over the economy, immigration and other domestic issues.
Despite finishing first, the AfD faces a difficult path to power. Mainstream parties have maintained a political “firewall” against cooperation with the far-right party, making coalition negotiations complicated. The CDU has again ruled out forming a coalition with the AfD.
The result nevertheless marks the strongest state-level performance in the AfD’s history and brings the party closer than ever to potentially leading a state government in post-war Germany.
The election also attracted attention beyond Germany, with political figures across Europe reacting to the AfD’s advance. Supporters view the result as evidence of growing public frustration with established parties, particularly over immigration, crime, economic conditions and government policy.
Critics, meanwhile, have warned that the result reflects the increasing normalisation of far-right politics in Germany. The AfD’s regional branch in Saxony-Anhalt has been classified as right-wing extremist by the state’s domestic intelligence service.
With voter turnout reaching nearly 78 per cent, the election demonstrated a high level of political engagement and underscored the depth of Germany’s current political divisions.
For Weidel and the AfD leadership, however, the message from Saxony-Anhalt is unmistakable: the party believes it has moved from being a protest force to a serious contender for political power.
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