Far-right party wins in German state election
The German far-right Alternative for Germany (AFD) party is the largest party in the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, according to exit polls, but does not look like it will get its own majority.
- We have made history, says Ulrich Siegmund, the party's top candidate in the federal state, on the ARD television channel.
According to the public service channel's exit poll, the AFD will get 44.5 percent of the vote, but therefore no majority of its own.
So far, no party has wanted to cooperate with the AfD, and it is uncertain whether the historic result will be enough for Siegmund to govern Saxony-Anhalt.
“We will reach out with all our might,” he says, but also admits that he currently sees no one to form a coalition with.
Much of the political future in Saxony-Anhalt depends on the left-wing breakaway Sahra Wagenknecht’s BSW. According to preliminary figures, the party will receive 5.0 percent, which is right at the state threshold.
In addition to the BSW being a potential lifeline for the AfD to cooperate with, the party’s success affects the distribution of seats in the state parliament. According to the ARD television channel, 57 percent of BSW voters want to see a cooperation.
The party’s top candidate in the state, Claudia Wittig, does not want to commit herself to a yes or no on the question of cooperation in the television election vigil.
“We want to do what is good for the country, then we will see whether it is with or without the AfD.”
CDU halved
The result was not surprising, since since May the AFD has been above 40 percent in opinion polls in Saxony-Anhalt, well ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU.
The party halves its share of the vote and ends up at 18.5 percent, but still becomes the second largest party according to the polling station survey. In the last state election, in 2021, the figures for the two parties were the opposite – then the AFD got 20.8 percent and the CDU 37.1.
The social democratic SPD is expected to land at 8.0 percent, while the liberal FDP will fall below the threshold with its 2.0 percent.
Record number of voters
With just over two million inhabitants, Saxony-Anhalt is one of the smaller states in Germany. But the election is seen as symbolically important and an indication of the AFD's potential for similar success nationally.
Among other things, the party wants to fundamentally change migration policy, invest in more Russian language teaching in schools and “good relations” with Moscow, abolish wind power construction and close down public service media.
According to the television channel MDR, the turnout was record high; by 4 p.m., over 65.3 percent had already voted, which is more than in all local elections in Saxony-Anhalt since German reunification in 1990.
Facts
Elections in Saxony-Anhalt
This is how the election went according to the ARD polling station survey.
Right-wing nationalist AFD: 44.5 percent (20.8 in the 2021 election)
Christian Democratic CDU: 18.5 percent (37.1)
Left-wing Die Linke: 9.4 percent (11.0)
Social Democratic SPD: 8.2 percent (8.4)
Liberal FPD: 2.1 percent (6.4)
The Greens: 8.9 percent (5.9)
Left-wing conservative BSW: 5.0 percent (-)
Other: 3.4 percent
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