CDU crushed as AfD claims ‘historic victory’ and chases outright majority

The AfD recorded a clear victory in Saxony-Anhalt, according to the first exit polls, bringing a far-right party to the threshold of state power for the first time since World War II. The Christian Democratic Union suffered a sharp defeat.

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We made history in this state.

ARD’s updated estimate put the AfD at 44.4%, with the CDU far behind at 18.2%. The Left followed with 9.2%, ahead of the Greens on 8.7%, the Social Democratic Party on 8.6% and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance on 4.8%.

Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD’s 35-year-old lead candidate, told supporters: “We made history in this state.” He had repeatedly described a state victory as a first step toward securing national power in the 2029 federal election. It remained unclear whether the result would give the AfD an outright majority, as that depends on how many parties ultimately enter the state parliament.

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This is a very clear mandate to govern.

Even without a majority, the result marks an important advance in the AfD’s drive toward national power and a major blow to Friedrich Merz’s coalition government. If the AfD falls short, the main parties could face lengthy coalition talks as they seek to keep out a party monitored by Germany’s domestic intelligence service for far-right extremism.

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We in the CDU will have to confront the result.

CDU lead candidate Sven Schulze congratulated the AfD and said his party needed to confront the result. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel called it a “historic result” and said it represented “a very clear mandate to govern.” Chancellor’s Office Minister Nina Warken described the outcome as a turning point for the CDU and a very difficult result for the federal government. Turnout stood at about 76%, with the economy and social security emerging as the leading issues. Saxony-Anhalt has Germany’s oldest population, and more than half its voters are already retired or close to retirement.

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This is a very difficult result.