Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) is heading for a dramatic victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, far ahead of its mainstream rivals. Although it is projected to fall short of a majority, the AfD says it has won a mandate to govern.
The far-right AfD is on course to win a record 44% of the vote, well ahead of the conservative CDU on 17%, with most interim results counted.
Charismatic leader in the state, Ulrich Siegmund, said it was “sensational” and they wanted to start governing as soon as possible.
No far-right party has won control of a German state since World War Two, and governing at state level would mean powers over policing, local education and culture.
Saxony-Anhalt has a small population of 2.1 million and the AfD in the state is assessed by domestic intelligence as “right-wing extremist”, a classification rejected by Siegmund, 35.
He along with joint national leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla were overjoyed as exit polls revealed they were on track to score more than double the party’s result in 2021.
Commentators and political opponents spoke of the outcome as a watershed and break with the past. Main TV channel Das Erste cancelled its legendary crime drama Tatort to focus on what the result meant.
“This isn’t just about Saxony-Anhalt,” Siegmund told supporters. “It’s a signal for the whole of Germany – a self-confident signal.”