Germany’s far-right AfD projected to win eastern state but unclear if it will be able to govern

‌The far-right Alternative for Germany surged into first place in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday but it was unclear whether it would be able to form a government on its own, according to exit polls after voting closed. The AfD won 44.5% of the vote, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives on 18.5%, with the center-left Social Democrats and environmental Greens both clearing the minimum threshold to enter parliament, an exit poll on the ARD broadcaster showed. “We have made history in this country,” said Ulrich Siegmund, the 35-year-old AfD lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, who drew thousands to his campaign rallies and who repeatedly cast victory in the state as a first step toward securing national power in federal elections due in 2029. The result marks a major advance in the AfD’s push for national power and a significant setback for Merz’s coalition government, although it remained unclear whether the party would be able to form a state government. Turnout was around 76%, well above levels typically seen in state elections. Much could depend on whether the left-wing populist BSW party, a potential AfD coalition partner, could also clear the threshold. Exit polls showed it just above or just below it. State premier Sven Schulze congratulated the AfD and acknowledged the result showed it was the strongest party. If the AfD is unable to rule outright, it could trigger a protracted process of coalition building by mainstream parties who are determined to keep out of power a party investigated for right-wing extremism by Germany’s domestic intelligence service. The AfD’s program includes plans to push schools and cultural institutions toward more traditional values, curb immigration and overhaul public broadcasting. While hard right parties have gained ground elsewhere in Europe, Germany’s Nazi past has contributed to a reluctance among mainstream parties to cooperate with the AfD, which wants a hard line on migration and warmer ties with Russia. The AfD sees accusations of extremism as scaremongering and an insult to its millions of supporters. Siegmund told CNN the election result will give his party the mandate to return to “sensible diplomacy” with both Russia and the United States. “We need both if we as Germany want to be successful,” he said. Alice Weidel, the party’s co-leader who called it an “historic” result, also told CNN: “We stood for election very clearly to represent the interests of our country — not Ukraine’s, not any other country’s.” Sunday’s result is also another blow to the authority of Merz, whose popularity has sagged as his coalition government struggles to revive growth in Europe’s largest economy. Describing Merz’ premiership as a “catastrophe,” Weidel labeled the AfD “a people’s party” that will seek to “deport everyone obligated to leave the country” and close the borders if given the mandate to govern at the federal level. In a fracturing political landscape, the AfD is now Germany’s most popular party nationally, though other parties have ruled out forging coalitions with the AfD in a policy known as the “firewall.” This story has been updated. CNN reporting from Sebastian Shukla contributed to this story.