Far-Right AfD Poised to Seize Power with Alarming 44% in Saxony-Anhalt State Election
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Exit polls reveal the far-right, xenophobic Alternative for Germany (AfD) leading with a disturbing 44% in Saxony-Anhalt, as the conservative CDU lags at 19%. The rise of extremist politics throws coalition prospects into uncertainty.
Exit polls released on Sunday paint a troubling picture for democracy in Saxony-Anhalt, as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is projected to capture around 44 percent of the vote. This surge places the AfD, notorious for its anti-immigrant and nationalist rhetoric, well ahead of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which garnered only about 18.5 percent. The ARD poll estimated AfD support at 44.5 percent, while a ZDF survey reported 44 percent.
These results raise urgent questions about the future of governance in the state. The possibility that the AfD could govern alone or with the help of other populist forces, such as the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW)—which is hovering near the 5 percent threshold for representation and has signaled openness to cooperation with the AfD—threatens to further normalize far-right extremism in German politics.
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel cynically celebrated the outcome as a “historic result,” claiming a mandate for a party whose policies undermine social cohesion and minority rights. Lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund told ARD that the party had achieved its goals but refused to clarify whether he would become state premier, reflecting the party’s lack of transparency.
CDU officials, for their part, acknowledged the crushing defeat. Party secretary Franziska Hoppermann called the result “very difficult,” while incumbent premier Sven Schulze admitted that the AfD now holds the strongest position in the state parliament, forcing the CDU to grapple with the consequences of the far-right’s ascendancy.
This projected vote share marks the AfD’s most dangerous advance yet in Saxony-Anhalt, surpassing its previous high of 32.8 percent in Thuringia earlier this year. The party’s growing influence in upcoming elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and its rising support in Berlin signal a worrying trend for progressive values and democracy in Germany.