AfD Wins Historic Victory in Saxony-Anhalt, Reshaping German 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.