MAGDEBURG — The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won Saxony-Anhalt's state election on Sunday, Sept. 6, but faces significant obstacles in forming a government. The party failed to secure an absolute majority.
The election represented the AfD's strongest opportunity to win a governor's post and lead a state government in postwar Germany.
AfD top candidate Ulrich Siegmund celebrated the initial results in Magdeburg alongside federal chairwoman Alice Weidel and federal chairman Tino Chrupalla. Siegmund, co-chair of the AfD state parliamentary group in Saxony-Anhalt, said the result sends "a signal to Berlin."
Other political parties have ruled out cooperation with the AfD, citing the domestic intelligence agency's classification of the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt as "confirmed far-right extremist."
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, performed poorly in the eastern state. Saxony-Anhalt State Governor Sven Schulze, the CDU's top candidate, had campaigned with Merz in the days before the election, including a visit to UPM Biochemicals in Leuna on Thursday, Sept. 3.
Following the release of election projections, demonstrators protested against the AfD in Frankfurt, gathering on the Römer with signs reading "Anti-social, fascist, stupid!!!".
Government formation will depend on smaller parties. Any party failing to meet the 5 percent threshold required to enter the legislature will lose its parliamentary seats.
