Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, won a landslide in Sunday's state election in Saxony-Anhalt, taking 43.8 percent of the vote. The result doubled the party's previous share and delivered its best-ever showing in the eastern state. The center-right CDU, which has led every Saxony-Anhalt government since 2002, fell to 17.2 percent, down sharply from the 37.1 percent it won in the last state election.
A result that shook the mainstream
The CDU now trails the AfD by more than 26 percentage points, a collapse that has sent alarm through Germany's political establishment. Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the outcome as a turning point for the nation. The AfD is pro-Russia and anti-immigration, and its rise puts it on the edge of governing a German state for the first time since World War II. Preliminary results show the party stopped just short of an absolute majority, meaning it cannot govern alone.
The firewall debate heats up
Mainstream parties have long refused to form coalitions with the AfD, an unwritten rule known as the firewall. That rule is now under strain. Before the vote, Sepp Mueller, deputy chairman of the CDU's parliamentary group, argued that a clear AfD victory should give the party a mandate to form a government. Other Union politicians warned against weakening the firewall even slightly. Thorsten Frei, the parliamentary group leader, said on election night: "We do not talk to right-wing extremists."
What happens next
With the AfD short of a majority, the CDU and other parties face hard choices. No established party has agreed to enter a coalition with the AfD, so forming a state government will require complicated negotiations among the remaining parties. Political analysts say the result will echo well beyond Saxony-Anhalt, with national elections in mind and other European countries watching how Germany handles a far-right party on the verge of power.