World
AfD Secures Historic Win in Saxony-Anhalt but Falls Short of Majority, Sparking Coalition Uncertainty
Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won a historic victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election held Sunday, September 6, according to preliminary official results, though it fell short of securing an outright governing majority.
The AfD captured 43.8% of the vote, translating to 39 of 83 seats in the state parliament. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) came second with 17.2% and 15 seats, followed by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) with 9.3% and 8 seats, the Green Party with 8.9% and 8 seats, the Left Party with 8.6% and 8 seats, and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) with 5.3% and 5 seats. The business-focused Free Democrats (FDP) received only 2.6%, failing to clear the 5% threshold required for parliamentary representation. Voter turnout reached nearly 78%, the highest in Saxony-Anhalt since German reunification in 1990.
The CDU, led nationally by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, suffered a severe setback, failing to win a single direct constituency mandate anywhere in the state's 41 constituencies. AfD candidates won 38 constituencies, including lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund in Genthin, while the Left Party won the remaining three. This marks a dramatic reversal from 2021, when the CDU won 40 of 41 direct mandates and the AfD only one.
Despite the AfD's strong showing, forming a government remains uncertain. Siegmund, 35, described the result as