Germany’s far right takes electoral triumph into political isolation

The AfD has achieved a historic breakthrough in Saxony-Anhalt, winning just under 44% under lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund. That is more than double its 20.8% result in 2021 and the party’s strongest performance in a major state election in Germany.

The result has opened a new political discussion about whether the far-right party could participate in governing a German state. At the same time, the governing CDU suffered a severe defeat. Its support dropped from 37.1% to below 18%, leaving Minister-President Sven Schulze under intense pressure after taking office in January 2026, succeeding longtime premier Reiner Haseloff.

The AfD’s rise came not only from voters switching from other parties, but also from people who had previously stayed away from elections. Dimap estimates that about 83,000 CDU voters moved to the AfD, along with roughly 19,000 from the FDP, 11,000 from the Left, 7,000 from the SPD and 2,000 from the Greens. Of the approximately 279,000 new AfD voters, 56% had not voted in 2021.

Turnout reached almost 80%, sharply above the 60.3% recorded in 2021. The higher participation therefore became one of the main factors behind the AfD’s performance. The party also held onto nearly all of its existing support, losing only about 2,000 voters to the BSW, according to the estimates.

The AfD led among pensioners, workers, employees and self-employed voters, while also strengthening its position in urban areas. It won 38.8% in the Magdeburg I constituency and reached 42% among younger voters, suggesting that its appeal extended beyond its traditional base. The CDU lost ground almost everywhere, while the SPD also declined, although the supplied text ends before detailing its full result.