AfD projected to win Saxony-Anhalt election, but coalition prospects remain unclear

Exit polls and early counts indicated that the Alternative for Germany (AfD) secured just over 44% of the vote in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, more than double its share five years ago. The result places the party ahead of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which was projected at about 18.5%, and ahead of the Left, Social Democrats and Greens, each around 9%.

AfD candidates, including 35-year-old gubernatorial hopeful Ulrich Siegmund, said the vote reflected public frustration and signaled a challenge to the federal government. "We have written history," Siegmund told public broadcaster ARD, adding that voters indicated "things cannot carry on like this."

National AfD co-leader Alice Weidel called the outcome "sensational" and said the party received a clear mandate to govern. However, projections suggested the party may be marginally short of the absolute majority required to form a government without coalition partners.

Incumbent CDU governor Sven Schulze acknowledged AfD's strong showing and noted the CDU would have to respond to the result. CDU officials reiterated their refusal to cooperate with AfD, labeling it a right-wing extremist party.

If AfD cannot govern alone, any coalition would likely need support from smaller parties, a scenario complicated by the CDU's longstanding policy of not partnering with the Left. The election outcome follows a similar situation two years earlier in Thuringia, where AfD won the most votes but did not form the state government.

AfD's regional platform includes stricter immigration controls, a proposed deportation offensive, opposition to funding for Ukraine, and calls to lift sanctions on Russia—issues beyond the competence of state governments. The party also seeks to allow home schooling, ban the display of rainbow flags in schools, and prioritize the national flag.

Germany's states hold significant authority over security and education, and their governments participate in the federal upper house, though Saxony-Anhalt's influence there is limited with four of 69 votes.