MAGDEBURG — Germany’s Alternative for Germany party has won the Saxony-Anhalt state election by a wide margin, according to election-night projections, but remains short of the parliamentary majority needed to govern alone.
AfD, led in the state by Ulrich Siegmund, was projected to receive about 44.2% of the vote. The Christian Democratic Union, or CDU, led locally by Minister-President Sven Schulze, was projected at 17.4%.
The official provisional result has not yet been declared. But the projection would mark AfD’s strongest performance in a German state election to date and more than double the party’s 20.8% vote share in Saxony-Anhalt in 2021.
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel called the result a clear mandate to govern after polls closed. Siegmund also described the outcome as historic.
AfD short of an absolute majority
Despite the scale of its projected victory, AfD was expected to hold 39 of 83 seats in the new state parliament — three short of the 42 required for an absolute majority.
The result therefore does not automatically hand the party control of the state government. AfD has indicated it does not intend to compromise on its positions to secure a coalition, while CDU, SPD, Greens and The Left have maintained that they will not work with the party.
The final result for the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, known as BSW, could prove decisive. The party was projected at around 5.1%, close to the 5% threshold required to enter parliament, and its presence could reshape the available coalition options.
The latest projection from Infratest dimap puts AfD at 44.0%, followed by the CDU on 17.4%. The SPD was projected at 9.2%, the Greens at 8.9%, The Left at 8.6% and BSW at 5.1%. The FDP, which had been part of the outgoing state coalition, was projected at 2.5% and set to miss the threshold for parliament.
Heavy CDU loss puts focus on Berlin
For the CDU, the result represents a significant defeat in a state it has governed for years. Schulze acknowledged the difficult outcome as attention turned to whether the other parties can build a stable governing majority without AfD.
Turnout was projected at about 76.9%, up sharply from 60.3% in the previous election. Migration, public safety, jobs and dissatisfaction with established parties were central issues during the campaign.
The result will also be closely watched in Berlin. Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU faces renewed pressure after the poor showing, while AfD supporters are likely to view the result as evidence that the party’s appeal is widening — a development likely to shape Germany’s wider political debate in the weeks ahead.
AfD’s Saxony-Anhalt branch has been classified as confirmed right-wing extremist by the state’s domestic intelligence service, a designation the party rejects.
The immediate focus now shifts from the vote count to coalition talks. AfD has clearly won the most votes, but no party yet appears to have an easy route to forming a majority government in Magdeburg.
This article will be updated when the official provisional result is announced.
Sources: Saxony-Anhalt official election results and ZDF election coverage.
Make Swikblog your go-to source on Google for reliable updates, smart insights, and daily trends.
