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🇪🇸 Spain /Elections & Politics

Far right nears outright majority in Saxony-Anhalt, polls show

From El País · () Spanish

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

At a glance

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  • The far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, won an estimated 44.5% in Saxony-Anhalt, translating into 39 of the 42 seats needed for an outright majority, according to ARD exit polls.
  • The Christian Democratic Union, led nationally by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, fell from 40 to 16 seats, while the Greens gained two seats and the Social Democrats lost two.
  • AfD's governing prospects hinge on the Sahra Wagenknecht-led BSW clearing the 5% threshold, as BSW has signaled it could support AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund's investiture.

The far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, came within three seats of an outright majority in Saxony-Anhalt, according to exit polls released by German public broadcaster ARD. The party took an estimated 44.5% of the vote, which would give it 39 seats in the regional parliament. A majority requires 42.

The result would mark a historic victory for AfD and exceed the expectations set by opinion polls. The Christian Democratic Union, the party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, suffered a sharp collapse. Its representation would fall from 40 seats to 16, leaving it with half the votes it won in the 2021 regional election.

AfD's path to power now depends heavily on the nationalist left-wing Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, or BSW. ARD placed BSW at 5%, just enough to enter parliament with four or five seats, while a separate ZDF poll put it at 4.8%, below the threshold. If BSW fails to enter, AfD's governing options would be severely constrained.

We agree with AfD in quite a few areas.

· Claudia WittigThe BSW candidate in Saxony-Anhalt explained why her party could negotiate AfD's investiture if BSW enters parliament.

BSW is the only party to have rejected the political cordon sanitaire around the far right. Its candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, Claudia Wittig, said the party was prepared to negotiate an investiture agreement if AfD won the most votes. “We agree with AfD in quite a few areas,” she said. “Given the majority they receive, it would be undemocratic if they did not have the chance to govern.”

The Social Democrats, who are part of the regional governing coalition, would fall from nine seats to seven. The liberal FDP would leave parliament, while the Greens would reach 9% and gain eight seats. Infratest Dimap conducted the ARD exit poll based on 20,000 interviews. AfD has so far won only four mayoralties in smaller municipalities, although it became the second-largest party in the 2025 federal election and won the 2024 regional election in Thuringia without entering government.

Given the majority they receive, it would be undemocratic if they did not have the chance to govern.

· Claudia WittigWittig argued that AfD should have the opportunity to form a government if it wins a parliamentary majority.
About this summary

Originally published by El País in Spanish. 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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