AfD claims 'historic' victory in Saxony-Anhalt vote

AfD leader Alice Weidel on Sunday hailed her party's projected victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election as a historic breakthrough, claiming the result gave the far-right movement a clear mandate to form a government despite falling short of an outright majority.

AfD claims historic mandate

"This is a historic result," Weidel told public broadcaster ZDF in an initial reaction. She said the party was breaking records in the eastern state that would extend across the region and to the federal level, describing the outcome as a "very clear mandate to govern." AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla echoed the sentiment, calling the result "sensational" and stating that Ulrich Siegmund would become the new minister-president.

CDU rules out cooperation

Saxony-Anhalt Prime Minister Sven Schulze immediately ruled out cooperation with the AfD. "I have no intention of working with the AfD," the CDU state leader told public broadcaster MDR, adding that alliance negotiations were not yet on the table. The AfD is classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist organization by the state's domestic intelligence agency, and early ARD projections showed the party winning 44.4% of the vote while Merz's CDU fell to a historic low of 18.4%.

Government formation

Despite its record vote share, the AfD was projected to fall short of a majority in the state parliament in Magdeburg. With all major parties maintaining their "firewall" against cooperation with the far-right group, the result pointed to political uncertainty and potentially lengthy negotiations to form a government.