AfD scores a sweeping victory in key regional election in Germany, nearing path to government

The far-right Alternative for Germany has emerged as the clear winner in Saxony-Anhalt, taking about 44% of the vote in an election that could bring the party within reach of its first regional government in Germany.

Exit polls from Infratest dimap and Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, commissioned by public broadcasters ARD and ZDF, put AfD's result between 44% and 44.5%. The party defeated the Christian Democratic Union of regional premier Sven Schulze, which received 18.5% in both surveys.

The Left placed third with between 9% and 9.5%, while the Greens reached 8.5%. The Social Democratic Party was projected to receive between 8% and 9%. The liberal Free Democratic Party, which had been part of Schulze's coalition with the SPD, failed to cross the 5% threshold. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance stood just below or around that mark, with projections ranging from 4.8% to 5%.

That result could determine the shape of the regional parliament. If BSW falls below 5%, AfD could govern with an outright majority, potentially holding as many as 43 seats in the 83-seat chamber, according to Infratest dimap. Turnout reached a record 76.5%, exceeding the previous regional high of 71.5% in 1998.

The vote has drawn unusual attention because Saxony-Anhalt, a region of 2.1 million people west of Berlin, represented AfD's strongest opportunity so far to win a state premiership. Such an outcome would be the biggest prize in the party's 13-year history and a symbolic blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's center-right party, which has governed the state for 24 years. The election also took place amid broad dissatisfaction with a national government that has yet to convince voters it can revive Germany's slow economy.