Alternative for Germany (AfD) is projected to score a decisive victory in Saxony-Anhalt’s regional election, with exit polls putting the party on 44.5% and Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) a distant second on around 18.5%.
AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund said the party was prepared to “extend a hand to all democratic forces that wish to pursue better policies,” while co-chair Alice Weidel left open the possibility of coalition negotiations, including potentially with the CDU if the AfD falls short of an outright majority. Outgoing regional leader and CDU candidate Sven Schulze conceded defeat, declaring “That’s democracy” and acknowledging that voters had delivered a message that should be heard in both Magdeburg and Berlin.
SPD co-leader and Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil likewise described the result as a “signal to Berlin,” but maintained that mainstream parties should preserve their longstanding refusal to cooperate with the AfD. AfD co-chair Tino Chrupalla argued the result showed voters were rejecting that political “firewall.”
Preliminary figures put the Left Party at 9.4%, the Greens at 8.9% and SPD at 8.2%, while the FDP appears set to lose its representation after receiving only 2.1%. The regional result comes amid broader difficulties for Merz’s federal coalition, with recent polling showing growing support for the AfD nationally and widespread dissatisfaction with the government.
