Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt —
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has won a historic victory in the eastern region of Saxony-Anhalt. This is the closest a far-right party has come to coming to power in a German state since World War II.
The party leadership and its leading candidates were overjoyed when the results were read out, cheering and applauding their “historic” victory with 44% of the vote, according to preliminary results.
The victory gave the AfD 39 of the 83 seats in parliament, just short of the 42 seats needed for an absolute majority.
The party may need to form a coalition to win a majority, and the AfD could form a coalition with the far-left party Sahara Wagenknecht (BSW), which has passed the 5% threshold for entry into parliament, but the AfD has signaled it is not interested in a deal.
The AfD has long been the frontrunner in this weekend’s general election, but securing a rare and elusive majority in Germany has always been difficult.
Still, the party’s leading candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, told CNN: “This is a historic moment for our beautiful region. The people have finally shown clearly that they want political change. And above all, they have shown that they want political change with us.”
The AfD aggressively campaigned on an “immigration” policy that would send non-Germans back to their home countries. In addition to being openly pro-Russian, he also plans to steer schools and cultural institutions toward more conservative values, curb immigration, and overhaul public broadcasting.
Surrounded by reporters as he passed through an event hall in the state capital Magdeburg, Siegmund told CNN that the election results would give his party a commitment to return to “enlightened diplomacy” with both Russia and the United States. “If we want to succeed as Germany, we need both,” he said.
“Germans are simply tired of policies that go against Germany’s interests,” party co-leader Alice Weidel told CNN shortly after voting ended. “It’s clear that we ran to represent our interests, not the interests of Ukraine or any other country.”
US President Donald Trump, whose administration has long supported and favored the AfD, posted a photo of the exit poll on his Truth Social.
Kirill Dmitriev, one of Putin’s closest aides, reposted Trump’s remarks on his X account and wrote another: “AfD’s historic victory humiliates the arrogance, bigotry, warmongers, incompetence and hypocrisy of the discredited German coalition government.”
Is this man Germany’s “most dangerous man”?
Ulrich Sigmund, the far-right alternative candidate for Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt state, has been called “Germany’s most dangerous man” by Der Spiegel magazine. CNN’s Frederic Preitgen finds out why.
Meanwhile, other German politicians have reacted with a mixture of shock and recognition that mainstream parties are not doing enough.
“We have to admit that this is the worst electoral defeat the CDU has suffered in years, even decades,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said at a press conference on Monday.
Merz added: “When large numbers of people vote for a party that fundamentally questions our democratic institutions and the rules of the game, that is the outcome of the election and we cannot simply get away with it as business as usual.” “We’re not doing that.”
The question now facing the AfD is whether to govern in a coalition or as a minority.
All mainstream political parties have ruled out cooperation with the AfD, which has been classified as “extremist” by German intelligence services for its anti-Muslim and anti-immigration rhetoric. They continue to maintain a so-called firewall by refusing to cooperate on policy with the far right, a move that Mr. Weidell denounced as “deeply undemocratic.”
Even if all other parties were to unite, the numbers would be so favorable to the AfD that a grand coalition would still only work with a minority.
It appears that discussions have already begun within the AfD.
Speaking on German public broadcaster ZDF, Sigmund ruled out a coalition with the far-left BSW, saying: “I want to make it clear that voters ultimately get what they voted for after the election,” adding that the BSW is “part of the problem, not the solution.”
However, AfD party co-chair Tina Churupala said they were ready to “reach out” to all political parties.
For Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the federal government, the result is punitive.
Already deeply unpopular across the country, questions are beginning to mount over how Merz will be able to survive this crushing defeat, with German public broadcaster ARD saying: “The real question is how long he can survive.”
In Saxony-Anhalt, the CDU lost half of the votes.
Merz acknowledged Monday that his CDU suffered a crushing defeat in the general election, saying: “We are all deeply shocked.” “The outcome of this election will definitely have an impact.”
Current CDU state minister Sven Schulz said: “This result tells us a lot…The people are sending a clear message…and this message must be recognized.”
AfD co-leader Weidel used the occasion to heap scorn on the CDU and the chancellor, predicting Merz’s ouster and federal elections to be held “before Christmas.”
The AfD’s support for Russia is well known, with key party officials frequently visiting Moscow, St. Petersburg and occupied Crimea. The party opposes further aid or defense measures for Ukraine, often referring to defense funding for Kiev as money not being spent on programs for the German people.
Party leaders also name Ukrainians and Muslim residents when talking about people they want deported.
However, issues of foreign relations and immigration are not decided at the state level. Grégoire Roos, an analyst and head of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia program at Chatham House, said he expected the AfD to focus more on culture, education and local policing issues in Saxony-Anhalt.
Following the party’s historic success on Sunday, Mr Weidell laid out his party’s ambitions if it wins the federal election, saying: “We will cut all unnecessary spending, we will control our borders and we will deport everyone who is deportable.”
CNN’s Lauren Kent, Stephanie Halas and Caitlin Danaher contributed to this article.
