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# AfD Wins Historic Victory in Saxony-Anhalt, Reshaping German Politics
- URL: https://beirutwire.com/afd-wins-historic-victory-in-saxony-anhalt-reshaping-german-politics/
- Published: 2026-09-07T04:54:12.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-07T04:54:12.000Z
- Description: Germany’s AfD has won a historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt, taking 43.8% of the vote and more than doubling its support since 2021. The CDU collapsed to just 17.2%, while the AfD finished only three seats short of an outright majority.
- Author: Beirut Wire
- Tags: Politics

Germany’s **Alternative for Germany (AfD)** has won a decisive victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, taking **43.8% of the vote** in Sunday’s state election. The result more than doubled the party’s 20.8% share from 2021 and gave it its strongest-ever performance in a German state election.

The governing **Christian Democratic Union (CDU)** suffered a historic collapse, falling to **17.2%** from 37.1% five years ago. The AfD will now hold **39 of the state parliament’s 83 seats**, just three short of an outright majority.

That means the AfD clearly won the election, but it may still be unable to govern. Germany’s other major parties continue to maintain a political “firewall” against cooperating with the AfD, leaving the state facing a difficult coalition-building process. A combination of the CDU, SPD and Greens would still fall short of a majority, meaning smaller parties could become decisive.

The result is historically significant because it brings the AfD closer than ever to controlling a German state government. Its candidate, **Ulrich Siegmund**, campaigned heavily on tighter immigration controls, opposition to aid for Ukraine and a broader rejection of Germany’s political establishment.

The scale of the victory also matters nationally. The AfD has been gaining support well beyond eastern Germany and is now polling at roughly **28% nationwide**, according to Reuters. The Saxony-Anhalt result therefore raises a larger question for Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Germany’s mainstream parties: whether the long-standing strategy of isolating the AfD can survive as the party continues expanding its electoral base.

The immediate battle will be over who actually forms the next government in Saxony-Anhalt. But politically, Sunday’s vote has already crossed an important threshold: **the AfD is no longer simply a protest party on the margins of German politics — it has become the dominant political force in one of the country’s states.**