AfD wins Saxony-Anhalt vote as CDU support collapses
The CDU, which has governed Saxony-Anhalt since 2002, suffered a heavy defeat in Sunday's state election. Early projections show its vote share falling to 18.4%, down roughly 19 points from the 37.1% it won last time. CDU candidate Sven Schulze congratulated the far-right AfD, the clear winner with more than 44%, acknowledging that voters had delivered a strong message for change.
RastinewsThe far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won Sunday's state election in Saxony-Anhalt by a wide margin. Early projections put the party above 44% of the vote, pushing the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which has governed the eastern German state since 2002, into second place.
CDU candidate and incumbent state premier Sven Schulze congratulated AfD's lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, after the results came in. "The people sent a signal," Schulze said, acknowledging that voters had delivered a strong message for change.
With counting still underway, broadcaster MDR's third projection put the AfD at 44.4% and the CDU at 18.3%. The Left Party stood at around 9.5%, the Greens at 9%, and the Social Democrats (SPD) at about 8%. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) was hovering right at the 5% threshold needed to enter parliament, while the Free Democrats (FDP), at around 2%, looked set to be shut out of the state legislature.
CDU loses nearly half its vote
No party suffered a heavier defeat than the CDU. It had won the 2021 state election comfortably, with 37.1% of the vote. Early projections show its support falling by roughly 19 points this time, to around 18%.
The CDU, which has run Saxony-Anhalt since 2002, didn't just lose its lead — it posted one of the worst results in the party's history in the state.
The AfD, meanwhile, more than doubled its 2021 result of 20.8%. At roughly 44.4%, it finished more than 26 points ahead of the CDU.
Analysts see the outcome as more than a state-level vote — it's being read as a sharp rebuke of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's federal government and the CDU leadership.
Schulze: 'The people sent a signal'
After the results were announced, CDU candidate Sven Schulze acknowledged the AfD's win and congratulated his rival, Ulrich Siegmund.
"The people sent a signal," Schulze said, adding that the CDU would take a close look at the result. His remarks came after the party had repeatedly ruled out any cooperation with the AfD during the campaign.
Before the vote, CDU leaders had rejected coalitions with both the AfD and the Left Party. But the parliamentary arithmetic that's now emerging could make it very hard to form a government without the AfD.
AfD hails a 'historic victory'
AfD's lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, called the outcome "a historic achievement." Siegmund, who built his campaign around migration, security, education and opposition to the federal government, said his party wants to govern Saxony-Anhalt.
AfD officials argue the result gives their party a clear mandate to form a government. Throughout the campaign, the AfD had pushed for outright power on its own.
But early projections suggest that, despite its strong showing, the AfD may narrowly miss an absolute majority in the state parliament. Whether the smaller parties clear the 5% threshold will decide the seat count — and whether the AfD can govern alone.
Path to a government unclear
If the AfD falls short of a majority, Saxony-Anhalt faces a difficult process of forming a government.
The other parties expected to enter the state parliament — the CDU, SPD, Greens and Left Party — had all ruled out a coalition with the AfD before the vote. Germany's mainstream parties call this policy of political exclusion the "firewall."
But according to current projections, the combined vote of the CDU, SPD and Greens may not be enough for a governing majority. That leaves open the possibility of a CDU-led minority government backed from outside by the Left Party, or of cooperation options the parties had previously rejected coming back onto the table.
Whether the BSW clears the 5% threshold could also reshape the math. The party has said it would back neither Schulze nor Siegmund in a vote for state premier.
State's AfD branch classified as confirmed right-wing extremist
Saxony-Anhalt's domestic intelligence agency classifies the state AfD branch as a "confirmed right-wing extremist" organization. Despite that designation, the party's support keeps growing, particularly in Germany's eastern states.
Known for its anti-immigration stance, its hard line on the European Union and its approach to relations with Russia, the AfD campaigned on speeding up mass deportations, toughening migration policy and overhauling the education system.
Should the AfD take charge of a state government, it would gain political control over key institutions — police, education, cultural policy and the state's domestic intelligence service — a prospect likely to intensify debate across Germany over democracy and the rule of law.
A warning shot for the Merz government too
The Saxony-Anhalt election is also being seen as a serious political setback for Friedrich Merz, the CDU's national leader and Germany's chancellor.
The CDU had campaigned on a tougher line on migration and security, but it still failed to win back voters drawn to the AfD. Analysts point to economic stagnation, rising living costs, distrust in the federal government and a long-standing sense of being overlooked in the east as key factors behind the result.
About 1.7 million people were eligible to vote, and turnout was notably high. Early data show the AfD drew significant support not only from other parties' voters but also from people who hadn't voted before.
Final results were expected overnight or by the morning of September 7. The seat distribution — and the options for forming a government — will hinge on the final tallies for parties near the 5% threshold, the BSW chief among them.