Far-right AfD makes historic breakthrough in Germany, wins 44% in state poll

Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is poised for a historic breakthrough in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, opening the prospect of the party seeking to govern despite falling short of an outright majority.With most interim results counted, the AfD was projected to secure a record 44% of the vote and far ahead of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which stood at 17%.Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD’s prominent leader in Saxony-Anhalt, described the result as “sensational” and said the party wanted to begin governing as soon as possible.According to the BBC report, a victory would mark an unprecedented development in post-war Germany, where no far-right party has previously taken control of a state government. State-level power would give the AfD influence over areas including policing, education and culture.Saxony-Anhalt, home to about 2.1 million people, has been a particular focus of concern because the state’s AfD branch is classified as “right-wing extremist” by Germany’s domestic intelligence service. Siegmund, 35, rejects the designation.Siegmund and the party’s national co-leaders, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, celebrated as exit polls showed the AfD was on course to more than double its 2021 vote share.The AfD’s strong performance was quickly described by political opponents and commentators as a major turning point, highlighting the growing influence of the far-right party in German politics. Public broadcaster Das Erste even replaced its long-running crime drama Tatort with special coverage examining the significance of the result.“This isn’t just about Saxony-Anhalt,” Siegmund told supporters. “It’s a signal for the whole of Germany - a self-confident signal.”Commentators and political opponents spoke of the outcome as a watershed and break with the past. Main TV channel Das Erste cancelled its legendary crime drama Tatort to focus on what the result meant.“This result is not just about Saxony-Anhalt,” Siegmund told supporters, calling it “a signal for the whole of Germany — a confident signal.”The result also drew attention abroad. US President Donald Trump shared a screenshot of the German election projection on his Truth Social platform, which Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev later reposted, describing the outcome as a “historic win for the pragmatic AfD”.Dmitriev had previously praised the Russia-friendly party as one offering “hope and reason” and greater cooperation for Germany. US Vice-President JD Vance also backed the AfD ahead of Germany’s federal election last year, a move that drew criticism in Germany over alleged foreign political interference.Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, however, offered a sharply contrasting reaction. The centre-right leader said that in Poland, “only idiots and traitors can rejoice at the triumph of the AfD.”Despite its strong performance, the AfD lacks the seats needed to govern alone, leaving Ulrich Siegmund facing a difficult path to power. He has so far ruled out leading a minority government, even as the party’s national leadership considers that option possible.Siegmund said the AfD would instead be willing to seek support from individual lawmakers or another party. “If necessary there’ll just be new elections, then we’d just get 50 or 55%,” he said.The outcome was also closely tied to the performance of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), whose ability to clear the 5% threshold needed to enter the state parliament remained uncertain for several hours. Interim results eventually showed the party had crossed the threshold, meaning the AfD would not gain the additional seats it might otherwise have secured.The AfD was projected to win 39 of the 83 seats in Saxony-Anhalt’s state parliament, leaving it three seats short of the 42 required for an outright majority.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.