AfD on track for first far-right postwar majority in Saxony-Anhalt
The far-right AfD party is polling for a potential historic majority in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, which would mark the first time a party outside the traditional mainstream has held such power since WWII. Experts warn that while policy influence may be limited, the symbolic shift in German politics would be significant.
Why it matters
A victory for the AfD would represent a major shift in the German political landscape and challenge the post-war consensus.
A political earthquake is brewing in Germany's east as working-class and young voters appear set to deliver an unprecedented victory for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Sunday’s state elections in Saxony-Anhalt. The AfD, which was famously backed by Elon Musk in last year’s national election, has been criticized for being pro-Russia and was accused of being a "right-wing extremist endeavor" by Germany’s domestic intelligence office, has the chance to become the first party outside the mainstream center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) or center-right Christian Democratic Union and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU), to win an outright majority in a German state parliament, or Landtag, since World War II.
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