Far-right AfD claims crushing victory in east German state vote

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party claimed a significant victory in a recent regional election in Saxony-Anhalt, an eastern German state with a history of communist rule. This result is seen as a strong rebuke to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the leader of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party. The AfD secured 44% of the vote, more than doubling their support and a clear lead over the CDU, which garnered around 18%.

Ulrich Siegmund, a 35-year-old AfD candidate and the party's lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, expressed his joy at the historic win. While the CDU's state premier, Sven Schulze, acknowledged the outcome as a "severe blow," he remains committed to his role as caretaker leader during the likely lengthy process to form a new government.

The AfD's national co-leader, Alice Weidel, described her party's result as "sensational" and emphasized that they received a clear mandate to govern in Saxony-Anhalt. However, the situation regarding potential coalition governments remains unclear, as the AfD only secured just under half of the parliamentary seats. The CDU is attempting to form a multi-party coalition, but even if they join forces with the center-left SPD, Greens, and far-left Die Linke, they would still fall short of an absolute majority.

The AfD's rise has raised concerns about the specter of a far-right state government in Germany. This would be the first time in the nation's history, following its efforts to atone for its World War II and Holocaust past by keeping extremist parties at bay. The AfD's platform includes radical proposals such as a "remigration and deportation offensive" against irregular migrants, banning LGBTQ pride flags from public schools, and altering history teaching to minimize the emphasis on the Third Reich.

While the AfD's win puts pressure on Chancellor Merz, the party's economic policies are deemed "ruinous" for Saxony-Anhalt, which heavily relies on foreign-born workers.