AfD Wins Historic 43.8% Plurality in Saxony-Anhalt, Falls Just Short of Majority

In the September 6 Saxony-Anhalt state election, the AfD won 43.8% of the vote — more than double its 2021 result and the strongest performance by a far-right party in a German state election since 1945 — securing 39 of 83 seats (+16). The incumbent CDU collapsed to 17.2% and 15 seats (-25), its worst result in the state; SPD took 9.3% (8 seats), the Greens 8.9% (8), the Left 8.6% (8), and the BSW entered parliament with 5.3% (5 seats). Turnout surged to a record 77.8%, up 17.5 points from 2021's 60.3%. The AfD fell three seats short of the 42 needed to govern alone, and the combined opposition (CDU, SPD, Greens, Left) also held exactly 39 seats, leaving government formation unresolved. AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund declared 'we have made history in this state' and credited Chancellor Merz as 'a very good campaigner for us'; national AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla said the mainstream parties' 'firewall' against cooperating with the AfD had been 'definitively rejected by the voters.' CDU incumbent premier Sven Schulze said 'we're going to have to live with this result' while ruling out formal cooperation with the AfD. Chancellor Merz called the outcome a result that 'changed not only Saxony-Anhalt, but Germany as a whole,' adding 'we are all profoundly shocked'; former Chancellor Angela Merkel called it a 'turning point' in German history. Hungary's Viktor Orbán and Italy's Matteo Salvini welcomed the result, while Polish PM Donald Tusk said only 'idiots and traitors' would celebrate it.