Far-right AfD claims crushing victory in east German state vote
The far-right AfD party secured a major victory in the Saxony-Anhalt regional election, winning 44% of the vote. While the result is a significant political shift, the party lacks an absolute majority, leaving the future of the state government uncertain.
Why it matters
This election result highlights the growing influence of populist, anti-immigration parties in Germany and the challenges traditional parties face in forming stable coalitions.
AfD leaders celebrate their landslide election win in Saxony-Anhalt, a former communist state in eastern Germany. (EPA Images pic)
MAGDEBURG: Germany's far-right AfD won a landslide victory in a key regional election Sunday in the ex-communist east, a result seen as a stinging rebuke for Chancellor Friedrich Merz, but looked set to miss out on an absolute majority to govern alone.
"We have made history today," said a jubilant Ulrich Siegmund, the 35-year-old lead candidate of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party in Saxony-Anhalt state, as the vote count continued.
The AfD won 44%, more than doubling its support, and far ahead of the around 18% for the centre-right CDU of Merz, according to projections by public broadcasters ARD and ZDF.
Also covering this story
10 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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AfD on track for first far-right postwar majority in Saxony-Anhalt
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