German far right claims historic win

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party made a historic gain in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, potentially marking the first time a far-right party has gained power since World War II. The party's victory came largely at the expense of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which may signal the end of the establishment's strategy of excluding the far right from coalitions.

While the AfD faces a challenging coalition-building process, some analysts warn that the situation could be detrimental to the country's economy, which still requires significant reforms.

Brief written by urgent.news from Semafor's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.