Germany’s far-right AfD win historic victory, but fall short of majority in Saxony-Anhalt

AfD Lands Historic Saxony-Anhalt Victory but Falls Three Seats Short of Absolute Majority

Earthguardiansonline.com – The Alternative for Germany has pulled off what many observers considered a long-shot: winning the largest bloc of seats in a German state parliament. Preliminary results from the Saxony-Anhalt state election show the far-right party capturing 44 percent of the vote and 39 of the 83 legislative seats. That tally places the AfD just three seats below the 42 required for an outright majority — the closest any far-right formation has come to governing a German state since the end of World War II.

The result marks a seismic shift in a country where single-party majorities at the state level are exceedingly rare. German political culture has long favored coalition-building, and no state government has been run by one party alone in decades. The AfD’s near-miss therefore carries symbolic weight far beyond the arithmetic of one eastern state’s legislature.

Elation in Magdeburg, but No Mandate to Rule Alone

Party leaders and their lead candidate erupted in celebration as the final counts were announced in the state capital of Magdeburg. Backslapping and cheering filled the event hall as the numbers confirmed what exit polls had already signaled. Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD’s top candidate for the state, addressed reporters immediately afterward.

“This is a historic moment for our beautiful region. The people have shown very clearly that they finally want political change. And above all, they’ve shown that they want it with us.”

Yet the celebration was tempered by a hard mathematical reality: without at least 42 seats, the AfD cannot form a government on its own. The path forward now runs through coalition negotiations — or a minority arrangement that would leave the party dependent on other legislators for every vote.

The Platform That Drove the Vote

The campaign centered on what the party calls “remigration” — a program to repatriate non-German residents to their countries of origin. Alongside that flagship pledge, the AfD outlined plans to steer schools and cultural institutions toward more traditional values, tighten immigration controls, and restructure public broadcasting. The party has also maintained an openly pro-Russian posture, a stance that distinguishes it sharply from every other major German formation.

Surrounded by journalists as he moved through the Magdeburg venue, Siegmund framed the result as a mandate to recalibrate Germany’s foreign policy toward both Moscow and Washington.

“We need both if we as Germany want to be successful.”

Internal Debate: Coalition or Minority?

The question of how to govern has already split the party’s leadership. Siegmund, speaking on German public broadcaster ZDF, dismissed the prospect of partnering with the far-left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), which cleared the five-percent threshold to enter the state parliament.

“We want to make it absolutely clear that voters finally get what they voted for after the election.”

He characterized the BSW as “part of the problem, not the solution.” Party co-chair Tina Chrupalla, however, struck a more conciliatory tone, saying the AfD would be prepared to “extend a hand” to all parliamentary groups. The tension between those two positions suggests that internal deliberations over the coming weeks will be intense.

The Mainstream “Firewall” Holds — For Now

Every established party in Germany has formally ruled out governing alongside the AfD. German intelligence services classified the party as “extremist” owing to its anti-Muslim and anti-migrant rhetoric, and the so-called firewall — a mutual pledge among center-left, center-right, and liberal formations to cooperate on policy but never on government — remains intact. Alice Weidel, the AfD’s other co-leader, has denounced that arrangement as “deeply undemocratic.”

Even if all rival parties were to unite behind a grand coalition, the arithmetic in Saxony-Anhalt would still leave them short of a majority. The AfD’s vote share is so dominant that no combination of smaller parties can outvote it without the AfD’s own participation.

International Reactions

US President Donald Trump, whose administration has cultivated a warm relationship with the AfD, posted a photograph of the exit-poll graphics to his Truth Social platform within hours of polls closing. Kirill Dmitriev, one of President Vladimir Putin’s closest confidants, shared the post on his X account and added a separate comment:

“AfD’s historic win humiliates the arrogance, narrow-mindedness, warmongering, ineptitude and hypocrisy of the discredited German ruling coalition.”

Weidel, speaking in the minutes immediately after voting ended, framed the result as a referendum on German foreign policy priorities.

“Germans simply are fed up with policy being made against Germany’s interests. We stood for election very clearly to represent the interests of our country – not Ukraine’s, not any other country’s.”

Chancellor Merz Faces a Chastening Blow

For Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his federal government, the Saxony-Anhalt result lands as a severe political wound. Already unpopular across much of the country, Merz now faces mounting questions about his capacity to survive the fallout. German public broadcaster ARD put the pressure plainly: “the real question is how much longer will he last.”

In the state itself, the CDU lost roughly half of its previous vote share. Current CDU state minister Sven Schulze acknowledged the scale of the defeat:

“This result tells us a great deal… the people have sent a clear message… and that this message must be recognized.”

Weidel seized the moment to press her advantage, declaring she expected Merz’s removal from office and fresh federal elections “before Christmas.” Key AfD officials have made frequent trips to Moscow in recent months, underscoring the party’s alignment with Russian interests and deepening the sense among Western allies that German foreign policy may be entering an uncertain period.

What Comes Next

The coming weeks will determine whether the AfD attempts a minority government dependent on ad-hoc voting alliances, pursues a formal coalition with the BSW despite internal resistance, or triggers an early re-election. Each option carries distinct risks: a minority arrangement leaves the party vulnerable to legislative gridlock; a BSW partnership would pair two formations that share little ideological ground beyond opposition to the current establishment; and a snap election risks handing the AfD an even larger mandate if public discontent deepens. Whatever path is chosen, the Saxony-Anhalt result has already rewritten the assumptions under which German state politics operated for the past eighty years.