Far-right AfD surges in Saxony-Anhalt but falls short of outright majority, projections show

The AfD shook up Germany’s political landscape on Sunday by winning a projected 44% in Saxony-Anhalt, its strongest showing in the eastern state, according to initial figures from public broadcaster ZDF. The result put the party just one seat short of an outright majority in the 83-seat parliament in Magdeburg.

The CDU, which has governed the state since 2002, fell into second place with 18.5%. Die Linke and the Social Democratic Party each stood at 9%, while the Greens reached 8.5%. The governing coalition of Christian Democrats, Social Democrats and liberals failed to retain its majority.

The AfD would hold 41 seats, while 42 are required for a majority. That leaves it subject to the “firewall” that other parties have used to exclude it from governing coalitions at federal, state and local levels. The liberal party, at 2.5%, failed to clear the 5% threshold for parliamentary representation. The pro-Russian left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance hovered around the threshold, with its final position still uncertain.

The CDU’s result marked a sharp decline from 2021, when it won 37.1% and emerged as the strongest party. Regional premier Sven Schulze kept federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz at a distance during the campaign, wary of Merz’s low popularity across Germany. AfD leader Ulrich Siegmund’s party, which won 20.8% in 2021, more than doubled its support.

Turnout reached about 80%, higher than at the same point in the previous seven state elections. About 1.7 million people were eligible to vote, and roughly 20% had cast ballots by mail in advance. The final result will determine the composition of a parliament that must meet for the first time by October 6.