AfD Achieves Historic Victory in Saxony-Anhalt State Election
Historic Win for AfD in Saxony-Anhalt
File image of far-right AfD party's leader Alice Weidel(Photo: @ivan_8848/X)
Magdeburg (Germany), Sep 7: The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has achieved a remarkable victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, securing an unprecedented 44.5% of the votes, as indicated by an exit poll from a public broadcaster.
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), under the leadership of current state head Sven Schulze, faced a significant setback, dropping to 18.5%, a steep decline from 37.1% in the previous election held in 2021, according to the ARD poll.
In a statement on X, AfD leader Alice Weidel remarked, "Saxony-Anhalt has made its choice: The AfD, with 44.2%, is more than double the CDU's support and has received a mandate to govern. Congratulations to Ulrich Siegmund and the AfD Saxony-Anhalt!"
The Left party secured third place with 9.4%, followed closely by the Greens at 8.9% and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) at 8.2%, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
The newly established Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) is on the brink of the 5% threshold required to enter the state parliament, while the business-oriented Free Democratic Party (FDP) fell short with only 2.1% of the votes.
In the 83-seat state parliament, the AfD is expected to win 39 seats, just three seats short of the absolute majority needed for independent governance.
Ulrich Siegmund, the 35-year-old lead candidate for the AfD, celebrated the outcome, stating that "the people have sent a clear message." He also indicated a willingness to consider coalition options, moving away from his previous insistence on achieving an absolute majority.
Despite this, all other major parties have consistently rejected the possibility of forming a coalition with the AfD, leaving the formation of a viable state government uncertain.