Far-right AfD scores a sweeping victory in a German state election

The Alternative for Germany appeared headed for a sweeping victory in Saxony-Anhalt, a former East German state, according to exit polls. If confirmed, the result would mark an unprecedented step for the country since 1945.

The anti-immigration AfD, which the article describes as aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, held an almost 20-point lead over the conservatives of Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Yet the party had not secured an outright majority, and its ability to take control of the state would depend on the number of parties entering the regional parliament.

Around 1.7 million voters were eligible to cast ballots in a region of 2.1 million people. Public broadcaster ZDF projected that the AfD, led by 35-year-old Ulrich Siegmund, could win up to 41%, nearly twice its 2021 result. Siegmund drew enthusiastic supporters when he arrived to vote in Tangermünde on a blue Simson motorcycle, accompanied by his wife, Julia.

“

For a long time I fought against myself, but now I tell myself that we have to give the AfD a chance.

Siegmund has called for tougher migration policy, an end to compulsory schooling and changes to the teaching of history, which he says focuses too heavily on German guilt for the Third Reich. He has also appealed to nostalgia for the former German Democratic Republic among voters who feel disadvantaged compared with western Germans or migrants.

All parties except the divided BSW have so far ruled out governing with the far right. That political barrier could allow CDU leader Sven Schulze to remain in power if he forms an alliance with other parties. At the same time, more conservatives are calling for a pragmatic approach to the AfD, particularly at the regional level.

“

In my view, they are the only ones talking about peace. The others only talk about rearmament.