The far-right Alternative for Germany party surged to a resounding victory in a regional election on Sunday (September 6, 2026), but fell a little short of winning a majority in its quest to form the country’s first far-right state government since World War II.
Ulrich Siegmund, 35, told public broadcaster ARD that voters had sent a signal that “things cannot carry on like this. A first state government would be the biggest prize in the anti-migration party’s 13-year history, at a time of widespread discontent with a national government that has yet to persuade voters that it can get the country’s sluggish economy moving. Merz, whose centre-right party has led Saxony-Anhalt for 24 years.
AfD won a state election but didn’t end up governing. The party of Germany’s unpopular leader, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, slumped to a disastrous result in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. Whether or not AfD ends up governing, the result is a blow to Mr. Unlike other countries in Europe, modern Germany hasn’t yet had a far-right or right-wing populist party leading a national, state or major-city government. “AfD is a right-wing extremist party. “We will not work with them. That was two years ago in neighbouring Thuringia, where a CDU Governor took power with a minority government, but AfD was much further short of a majority there.
The anti-migration and Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany’s candidate for Governor said that “we have written history” and the party has a clear mandate to govern. He said that “a very good campaigner for us in this election campaign was Friedrich Merz. The BSW party, which has said it wouldn’t elect either Siegmund or incumbent Sven Schulze as Governor but criticises the “firewall” against AfD, took 5.3% and fives seats. It wants to leave the euro; that would be economic downfall … it works closely together with Russia, it wants a completely different social model,” she said.
Once previously.
