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Preliminary official results from Saxony-Anhalt’s state election authority showed the Alternative for Germany capturing 43.8 percent of the ballot on September 6, 2026, to claim 39 of 83 seats in the legislature and finish well ahead of the Christian Democratic Union’s 17.2 percent. The outcome left the AfD three seats short of an outright majority, setting up complex negotiations in a fragmented parliament where smaller parties cleared the five-percent threshold for representation. Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD’s lead candidate, told supporters the result sent a self-confident signal across Germany and marked the start of a broader political shift.
Siegmund extended an offer of cooperation to any forces willing to pursue a fundamental political turnaround, a position echoed by national AfD figures who described the victory as historic. “As a democrat, I will always extend a hand to all forces that join us in bringing about a fundamental political turnaround in this country,” he said according to coverage by Euractiv. Beatrix von Storch, an AfD deputy leader, told the BBC that opponents could not simply dismiss the popular vote and warned of potential new elections if no accommodation was reached.
The Christian Democratic Union, Social Democrats, Greens and Left Party have all ruled out any coalition with the AfD, a stance known as the firewall that has held since the party’s rise, according to a Politico report on reactions from Berlin. Sven Schulze, the CDU’s state leader, conceded defeat while noting that the result simply reflected voter choices in a high-turnout election that reached 77 percent. Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives suffered their worst performance in the eastern state, more than halving their 2021 support.
Saxony-Anhalt’s domestic intelligence agency has classified the local AfD branch as a confirmed right-wing extremist organization, a designation that underpins the mainstream parties’ refusal to partner with it, The New York Times reported. No far-right party has led a German state government since World War Two, making any AfD-led administration a potential precedent. The party’s platform emphasizes strict immigration controls, warmer relations with Russia and reduced support for Ukraine, positions that have resonated in the east.
The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, which combines left-leaning economics with restrictive migration policies, won 5.3 percent and five seats, creating a possible arithmetic path to a majority if paired with the AfD’s 39, according to seat projections from Reuters. Siegmund has indicated openness to working with individual lawmakers or even a party but rejected leading a minority administration. Discussions began on election night, though outcomes could take days or weeks, he added in remarks carried by Deutsche Welle.
At the national level a recent INSA poll placed the AfD at 28 percent, ahead of the conservatives on 20 percent, positioning the party strongly before further state votes in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern later in September. The Saxony-Anhalt result amplifies pressure on Chancellor Merz, whose coalition faces criticism over economic performance, a Reuters analysis of the vote noted. AfD co-leader Alice Weidel hailed the outcome as a clear governing mandate that could influence federal politics ahead of the next national election in 2029.
