Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany has won a historic victory in a state election, placing Chancellor Friedrich Merz under new pressure and giving the party its clearest path yet towards governing at state level.
The AfD won almost 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt, securing 39 of the state’s 83 parliamentary seats. The result made it the strongest political force in the eastern German state but left it short of the majority required to govern alone.
Merz’s Christian Democrats suffered a major setback. The chancellor ruled out cooperation with the AfD but acknowledged that the result had shaken his party “to its very foundations”.
The election marks a significant change in Germany’s political landscape. The AfD has never previously led a state government in postwar Germany, and its victory gives the party a stronger platform from which to argue that it can move from opposition into government.
Its next challenge will be finding enough support to form an administration. The party is seeking support from conservative lawmakers and could also face pressure from smaller parties to negotiate.
The traditional German parties have maintained a political barrier against cooperation with the AfD because of its far-right positions. That barrier has so far prevented the party from entering government despite its growing electoral support.
The Saxony-Anhalt result will test how durable that arrangement remains.
The AfD campaigns heavily on immigration, opposition to support for Ukraine and closer relations with Russia. Its leaders have presented the state election as a first step towards becoming Germany’s dominant political force at the federal level.
That ambition now looks less distant.
The result also exposes growing dissatisfaction with Germany’s established parties. Merz’s coalition has struggled with weak approval ratings and difficult economic reforms, while voters in eastern Germany have shown increasing support for parties outside the political mainstream.
The consequences extend beyond Saxony-Anhalt. Germany remains Europe’s largest economy and one of its most important military and political powers. A stronger AfD could therefore affect debates over migration, European integration, defence spending and support for Ukraine.
The party’s pro-Russia position is particularly significant at a time when Germany remains one of Ukraine’s most important European supporters.
Merz has rejected any suggestion that his government will abandon its position on Ukraine or cooperate with the AfD. But the election has demonstrated the political challenge he faces from a party that is increasingly capable of converting public dissatisfaction into electoral gains.
The AfD does not yet control Saxony-Anhalt. It does, however, control the political conversation after an election that has broken one of Germany’s most important postwar political barriers.
