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# AfD Wins Historic Victory in Saxony-Anhalt, Falls Just Short of Majority
- URL: https://www.theglobalvoice.com/afd-wins-historic-victory-in-saxony-anhalt-falls-just-short-of-majority/
- Published: 2026-09-07T04:24:04.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-07T04:24:04.000Z
- Description: Exit polls show far-right AfD winning 44% in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany's first far-right state election victory since WWII, though government formation remains uncertain.
- Author: TGV Desk
- Tags: politics, europe, The Day So Far, Top Stories

Germany's far-right Alternative für Deutschland has won a historic victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, securing 43.8% of the vote and more than doubling its support from the previous state election.

The result represents the AfD's strongest performance in a German state election and puts the party closer to governing at state level than at any point since its creation in 2013.

The Christian Democratic Union suffered a crushing defeat, falling to just 17.2% after winning 37.1% in 2021\. The CDU has governed Saxony-Anhalt since 2002, making Sunday's result a particularly significant setback for Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his party.

AfD's lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund declared that the party had “written history” and said voters had given it a clear mandate for political change.

But despite the scale of its victory, the AfD narrowly failed to achieve its biggest objective: an outright majority in the state parliament.

Final results gave the party 39 seats in the 83-member legislature, leaving it three seats short of the 42 required to control parliament on its own. The result means the AfD will need some form of cooperation from another party if it is to take power.

That remains a major obstacle.

Germany's mainstream political parties have maintained a longstanding “firewall” against the AfD, refusing to enter coalitions with the party. The CDU reiterated after Sunday's election that it would not cooperate with either the AfD or the far-left.

Siegmund has indicated that he is willing to speak with parties prepared to support what he called a fundamental political transformation, but acknowledged that there is currently no obvious coalition partner.

The result nevertheless represents an extraordinary expansion of the AfD's electoral strength. The party won just 20.8% in Saxony-Anhalt five years ago, meaning it has more than doubled its vote share in a single electoral cycle.

Turnout was also exceptionally high. Final figures put participation at 77.8%, reflecting the significance voters attached to an election that had been closely watched across Germany and Europe.

Saxony-Anhalt's AfD branch has been classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist organisation by the state's domestic intelligence agency. The party rejects such classifications as politically motivated.

The AfD campaigned heavily on immigration, security and German national identity. Siegmund promised a tougher deportation policy and what the party has described as a “remigration and deportation offensive.” The AfD has also advocated closer relations with Russia and has opposed significant elements of Germany's policy towards Moscow.

The election result is also a major political blow to Merz. The CDU's vote share has fallen by nearly 20 percentage points since the previous Saxony-Anhalt election, while the AfD has consolidated its position as the dominant political force in the state.

The immediate question is now who will govern.

If the other parties maintain their refusal to cooperate with the AfD, they will have to find a workable combination capable of commanding sufficient support in the fragmented state parliament. Alternatively, the AfD could attempt to govern as a minority administration with support from other parties on individual votes, although Siegmund has previously expressed reluctance about such an arrangement.

Whatever happens during the coalition negotiations, Sunday's vote represents a watershed for German politics. No far-right or right-wing populist party has led a German state government in the postwar era.

The AfD has not crossed that final barrier yet. But with almost 44% of the vote and nearly half the seats in Saxony-Anhalt's parliament, it has come closer than ever before.