Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt held state elections on Sunday, September 6th, with exit polls indicating an unprecedented victory for the far-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD).
According to the results of the exit polls, it remains unclear whether the party can form a government on its own. The voter turnout for this election was around 76%, significantly higher than the usual level for state elections.
The exit polls by the German public broadcaster ARD show that AfD secured 44.5% of the votes, far ahead of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz with 18.5% of the votes, while the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Greens both exceeded the minimum threshold to enter the state parliament.
The CDU’s candidate for state governor conceded defeat and congratulated AfD on their victory.
AfD’s co-leader Alice Weidel commended the election results as “historically significant,” marking the party’s best performance ever, giving AfD a clear mandate for governance. However, it is still uncertain whether the party can form a government.
If AfD is unable to govern alone, it could lead to prolonged coalition negotiations among the major parties, all of which are reluctant to see AfD in power.
The election results on Sunday also dealt another blow to Chancellor Merz’s authority, as his leadership of the coalition government struggled to revive growth in Europe’s largest economy, resulting in a decline in his approval ratings.
In the increasingly polarized political landscape, AfD has now become a popular party nationwide in Germany, but other parties continue to reject the idea of forming a coalition government with them, a policy referred to as the political “firewall.”
AfD’s candidate for state governor, Ulrich Siegmund, stated after the exit poll results were announced that “the people have clearly indicated that they ultimately want political change, and most importantly, they have expressed their desire for us to drive that change.”
“This is a significant historic victory. We have made history,” he said.
Siegmund mentioned that AfD is willing to cooperate with other parties to address fundamental issues, but issues like immigration and domestic security are non-negotiable.
AfD advocates for stricter immigration policies, emphasizes German national identity, rejects much of the Green agenda, and has gained support from the world’s richest person, Elon Musk.
The election results on Sunday mark a significant step forward for AfD towards their goal of governing nationally and signify a major setback for Chancellor Merz’s leadership of the coalition government.