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Friedrich Merz under pressure after far-right AfD’s landslide victory in Saxony-Anhalt

From Adevărul · () Romanian

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

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Ongoing story
  • The far-right Alternative for Germany won about 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU took less than 18%.
  • AfD is three seats short of an absolute majority and could seek support from other parties, although Germany’s main parties officially reject alliances with it.
  • The result has intensified pressure on Merz, who had pledged to halt AfD’s rise, and triggered concern among figures including Jewish community leader Charlotte Knobloch.

Friedrich Merz faces one of the most difficult political moments since becoming Germany’s chancellor after the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, won a decisive victory in Saxony-Anhalt.

Led in the state by 35-year-old Ulrich Siegmund, the anti-immigration and pro-Russian party won about 44% of the vote. Merz’s Christian Democratic Union received less than 18%. The result is a major setback for a chancellor who had promised to stop the AfD’s advance.

an outstretched hand

· Ulrich Siegmund and Alice WeidelThe AfD leaders described their approach to other parties after the election.

Since taking power in May 2025, Merz has pursued a liberal economic policy and tried to reduce immigration. Those measures did not prevent the far right from strengthening its position. Public broadcaster projections indicate that AfD needs only three more seats in the regional parliament to reach an absolute majority of 42 seats.

the mandate to form a government

· Sepp MullerThe CDU lawmaker acknowledged AfD’s position after its strong regional result.

The party could seek lawmakers from other groups or form an alliance with the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, a left-wing party favorable to Russia that could become decisive in forming the next state government. Negotiations are expected to be difficult because all major German parties officially rule out an alliance with AfD. Still, Siegmund and AfD federal co-leader Alice Weidel spoke of an “outstretched hand” to other parties. CDU lawmaker Sepp Muller acknowledged that AfD has “the mandate to form a government” in the state.

The victory has been described as a turning point for Germany, where the memory of Nazi crimes and rejection of far-right ideology remain deeply rooted in postwar political culture. Charlotte Knobloch, a prominent figure in Germany’s Jewish community, said she was horrified. “In my worst nightmares, I could not have imagined that the far right could win elections in Germany like this again,” she said. Merz is due to meet CDU leaders to assess the result before holding a news conference.

In my worst nightmares, I could not have imagined that the far right could win elections in Germany like this again.

· Charlotte KnoblochThe Jewish community leader expressed alarm over the AfD victory.
About this summary

Originally published by Adevărul in Romanian. 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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