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🇳🇴 Norway /Elections & Politics

Exit poll puts far-right party at 44.5 percent in Saxony-Anhalt

From Aftenposten · () Norwegian

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

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Exit polls put the far-right Alternative for Germany party at 44.5% in Saxony-Anhalt’s regional election, above pre-election expectations.
  • AfD leader Ulrich Siegmund said the result gave the party a clear mandate and that it would speak with all parties, although it remains uncertain whether AfD can enter government.
  • High turnout and the possibility that smaller parties could miss the 5% threshold raised the prospect of AfD winning a majority with less than half the vote.

The Alternative for Germany party appeared to be on the verge of a breakthrough in Saxony-Anhalt, with exit polls released after voting ended giving it 44.5% of the vote. The result exceeded expectations from the opinion polls conducted before the election.

Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD’s leading candidate in the state, said voters had given the party “a clear mandate.” He also said AfD would speak with all parties. “We made history. We got exactly what we wanted,” Siegmund told Märkische Allgemeine.

We have received a clear mandate from the voters.

· Ulrich SiegmundThe AfD leader described the party’s exit-poll result in Saxony-Anhalt.

The party’s advance helped drive unusually high turnout. Two hours before polling stations closed, more votes had already been cast than in the entire previous Saxony-Anhalt election. One hour before closing, turnout stood at 65.3%, according to state election director Christa Dieckmann, who spoke to broadcaster RTL.

We made history. We got exactly what we wanted.

· Ulrich SiegmundSiegmund celebrated the party’s projected performance in remarks to Märkische Allgemeine.

Siegmund is popular in the state and other party leaders were already congratulating him as the election winner. Yet victory does not necessarily mean power. Before the election, Siegmund said he was not seeking cooperation with other parties and would not take power with a majority of only one seat. No other parties have previously wanted to work with AfD.

The electoral system could still work in AfD’s favour. If smaller parties fall below the 5% threshold, AfD could win a majority in the state assembly with less than half the vote. Early polling suggested the liberal FDP, the Social Democrats and the Greens were at risk, although the exit polls indicated that the SPD and Greens had cleared the threshold. Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrats stood at 18.5%, a result described as a political setback for Germany’s chancellor. Siegmund said immigration and domestic security were not open to negotiation, while AfD would extend its hand to all democratic forces seeking better policies.

We extend a hand to all democratic forces that want better policies. Questions of immigration and domestic security are not up for negotiation.

· Ulrich SiegmundSiegmund outlined AfD’s proposed approach to talks with other parties.
About this summary

Originally published by Aftenposten in Norwegian. 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.

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