AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund triumphs in Saxony-Anhalt as the party records a historic regional result

Ulrich Siegmund had reason to celebrate on Sunday evening. Preliminary estimates put the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, candidate and his far-right party at between 44% and 44.5% in Saxony-Anhalt, the party’s strongest result ever in a German regional election.

“ We have made history!” Siegmund declared after a campaign built around slogans such as “Save the state” and “Everything is possible.” Born in the former East German state, the charismatic candidate became the face of a result that could set a new regional record for the party founded in 2013.

Earlier in the day, Siegmund and his wife, Julia, arrived at their polling station in Tangermünde on a Simson moped. He wore a white helmet and raised a hand in greeting, while the vehicle served as one of the campaign’s most recognizable symbols.

The moped also carried a regional memory. Simson is closely associated with the former German Democratic Republic, whose legacy remains present in the minds of many residents of the state, which has a population of two million.

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We have made history!