AfD struggles to form government in Germany despite landmark election victory
Founded in 2013 as a eurosceptic movement, the AfD won over voters with an increasingly hardline opposition to immigration after around a million people fled to Germany in 2015.
On Tuesday, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) convened for the inaugural sitting of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament, one month after its resounding election victory. Despite securing the most votes in the September 6 election, the AfD still lacked the majority needed to form a state government. Party candidate Ulrich Siegmund aimed to become state premier in a first round of voting, but the party failed to win over enough potential partners or defectors from rivals.
The AfD's struggle to form a government highlights the party's ongoing challenge of translating electoral support into executive power in a political system dominated by mainstream parties. The firewall policy, which prevents cooperation between mainstream parties and the AfD, has thwarted the party's efforts to establish itself in government.
The impasse was evident at the state parliament in Magdeburg, where about 400 peaceful protesters gathered outside, reading Germany's constitution and holding a banner demanding no cooperation with the far-right party. AfD leader Ulrich Siegmund, accompanied by his confidant Tobias Rausch, secured the presidency of the state parliament. Rausch, a real estate entrepreneur, became the first AfD member to hold such a high office, calling for lawmakers to work together and urging the end of political firewalls.
The AfD's success in Saxony-Anhalt and two other states in September has put Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government under pressure. Merz's conservatives have seen their support halve since the last state election, and no defections from Merz's party have been announced. The BSW, the only party willing to cooperate with the AfD, has stated it would abstain in any vote for Siegmund as state premier, potentially leading to a minority government with passive tolerance from the BSW. The AfD has also considered calling for new elections if they fail to secure the required majority.
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