German Far-Right Party AfD wins Saxony-Anhalt election

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has secured a decisive victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, according to exit polls, marking the party's first state-level election win since the end of World War II.

The AfD received about 44.5 percent of the vote, according to projections released by German broadcaster ARD on Sunday. The result placed it well ahead of the governing centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which was backed by about 18.5 percent of voters.

AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund described the result as historic, saying the party had achieved the political breakthrough it had been seeking.

"We have achieved exactly what we wanted to achieve," Siegmund said, declaring that the AfD had made history in Saxony-Anhalt.

AfD co-leader Alice Weidel also welcomed the result, calling it a historic achievement and arguing that the vote had given the party a strong mandate to govern.

However, the scale of the victory does not necessarily mean the AfD will be able to take control of the state government.

Exit polls indicated that the party had fallen just short of securing an outright majority in the state parliament in Magdeburg. That leaves open the possibility that other parties could seek to form a coalition capable of preventing the AfD from governing.

Siegmund said he was prepared to work with parties that supported what he described as fundamental political change in the state. At the same time, he insisted the AfD would not abandon its core positions simply to enter government.

The party has never previously been part of a governing coalition in any of Germany's 16 states or at the federal level. Mainstream political parties have maintained a refusal to cooperate with the AfD, a longstanding strategy commonly referred to as the political "firewall".

Major setback for Friedrich Merz

The result also represents another political setback for Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his centre-right CDU.

Merz's popularity has fallen as his coalition government faces pressure over Germany's weak economic performance and struggles to restore growth in Europe's largest economy.

The CDU finished a distant second in Saxony-Anhalt. State party leader Sven Schulze is expected to explore options for forming a multi-party administration that could keep the AfD out of government.

The AfD has built considerable support in eastern Germany by appealing to dissatisfaction over economic inequality, immigration and what it portrays as the failure of established political parties.

The party has also sought to tap into a distinct regional identity in the former communist East Germany, where economic and social differences with the western states remain a source of resentment more than three decades after German reunification.

Siegmund has embraced that regional identity during his campaign, frequently appearing on a locally produced Simson motorcycle. He rode the iconic bike to the polling station on election day in his hometown of Tangermuende.

Despite his relatively approachable public image, Siegmund has campaigned on a hard-line political platform, including promises to launch an extensive programme targeting undocumented migrants with deportations and what the AfD describes as "remigration".

Hard-line political programme

The AfD's policies extend beyond immigration.

The party has campaigned against what it calls "woke" ideology and has proposed removing rainbow flags associated with LGBTQ rights from public schools in favour of Germany's national flag.

It has also called for changes to the way German history is taught, including reducing what it considers an excessive emphasis on the country's Nazi past and Adolf Hitler's Third Reich.

To address demographic decline, the AfD has proposed encouraging Germans living overseas to return to the country and introducing financial incentives for families to have children.

Saxony-Anhalt has a population of roughly 2.1 million people and faces significant demographic pressures. The state also depends heavily on workers born outside Germany, particularly in healthcare and other essential sectors.

The German Economic Institute has warned that the AfD's proposed immigration policies could seriously damage the state's economy by reducing access to much-needed foreign workers.

The party's victory has also raised concerns about national security.

Critics fear that an AfD-led state government could create vulnerabilities within Germany's security apparatus and potentially expose sensitive information to Russia.

Georg Maier, the interior minister of the eastern state of Thuringia, has accused Moscow of viewing the AfD as a potentially important tool for weakening Germany.

The election therefore represents not only a major shift in Saxony-Anhalt's political landscape but also a significant test for Germany's established parties and their longstanding refusal to cooperate with the far right.