DistantNews
Support us
🇹🇷 Turkey /Elections & Politics

AfD wins record vote in Saxony-Anhalt but falls short of majority

From Daily Sabah · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The AfD won 43.8 percent and 39 of 83 seats in Saxony-Anhalt, more than doubling its 2021 vote share but missing an outright majority by three seats.
  • The result marked a setback for Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the CDU, which recorded its worst result in the state after governing there for 24 years.
  • Mainstream parties rejected cooperation with the AfD, leaving negotiations over the next state government without an obvious majority coalition.

The Alternative for Germany made history in Saxony-Anhalt, but its record election result did not give it the power to govern alone. The far-right party won 43.8 percent of the vote and 39 of the state parliament’s 83 seats, three short of the 42 needed for an outright majority.

We have achieved exactly what we set out to achieve. We have made history in this country.

· Ulrich SiegmundThe AfD’s lead candidate described the party’s record result to ARD.

The result more than doubled the AfD’s 20.8 percent showing in 2021 and represented its strongest performance in any German state election. AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund said the party had achieved exactly what it set out to do. “We have achieved exactly what we set out to achieve. We have made history in this country,” he told public broadcaster ARD.

Siegmund described the vote as a message that “things cannot carry on like this” and a signal to the national government in Berlin. He also attacked Chancellor Friedrich Merz, saying, “Every day this man is in the chancellery is one too many.” He said the AfD was prepared to work with politicians who supported its demands for major policy change, whether through a parliamentary group or individual lawmakers. If no governing arrangement could be reached, he said, “if necessary, there will just be new elections.”

Every day this man is in the chancellery is one too many.

· Ulrich SiegmundSiegmund criticised Chancellor Friedrich Merz after the election.

The result was a major setback for Merz and his center-right Christian Democratic Union, which has governed Saxony-Anhalt for 24 years. The CDU won 17.2 percent, its worst result in the state and less than half the 40 seats it won in 2021. It will now hold 15 seats.

AfD is a right-wing extremist party.

· Franziska HoppermannThe CDU national general secretary explained why her party would not cooperate with the AfD.

Other mainstream parties quickly ruled out cooperation. CDU national general secretary Franziska Hoppermann said, “AfD is a right-wing extremist party,” citing its positions on the euro, Russia and German society. “We will not work with them.” The Social Democrats won 9.3 percent, the Greens 8.9 percent and the Left Party 8.6 percent. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance cleared the threshold with 5.3 percent and won five seats, while the Free Democrats fell to 2.6 percent and lost parliamentary representation. The available numbers offer no straightforward route to a governing majority.

We will not work with them.

· Franziska HoppermannShe reaffirmed the CDU’s refusal to form a coalition with the AfD.
About this summary

Originally published by Daily Sabah in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog