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· collected 2026-09-06 · by Tyler Speicher
Story summary
In a closely watched regional election, Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is poised to gain power in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. The AfD is expected to secure at least 44% of the vote, more than double its showing five years ago, according to exit polls. This would give the party a significant majority and potentially mark the first time a far-right party has held state-level power in Germany since World War II.
The AfD's rise to prominence is seen as a threat to mainstream parties, including Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which is currently leading the state. The party's success is attributed to its promise to restrict immigration and restore ties with Russia, as well as its charismatic leader, Ulrich Siegmund.
A victory for the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt would be a significant milestone for the party, which has been gaining momentum in recent years. It could also have broader implications for German politics, potentially leading to a shift towards a harder line on immigration and European integration.
Experts warn that an AfD government could lead to significant changes in areas such as education and foreign policy, including creating separate classrooms for refugees and promoting a patriotism agenda that focuses less on the country's Nazi past. The party has also been accused of adopting tactics inspired by President Trump, including casting doubt on the integrity of absentee voting.
The outcome of the election is still uncertain, but it is clear that the AfD's rise to power would be a historic event with significant implications for Germany and Europe.
Written for “Far-Right Party's Rise in Germany” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 41 other(s) covering the same event.
A political earthquake is brewing in Germany's east as working-class and young voters appear set to deliver an unprecedented victory for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Sunday’s state elections in Saxony-Anhalt.
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voters → brew → Anhalt
The AfD, which was famously backed by Elon Musk in last year’s national election, has been criticized for being pro-Russia and was accused of being a "right-wing extremist endeavor" by Germany’s domestic intelligence office, has the chance to become the first party outside the mainstream center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) or center-right Christian Democratic Union and their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU), to win an outright majority in a German state parliament, or Landtag, since World War II.
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which → back → II
"The reason Saxony-Anhalt matters," foreign policy expert and author Daniel Schatz, who holds a doctorate in political science from Berlin's Humboldt University, told Fox News Digital, "is that the AfD is no longer just knocking on the door of power.
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AfD → matter → power
It may be close to kicking it open."
uncertain
It → kick → it
Other minor parties have led governing coalitions in German states, but no party outside the SPD or the CDU and the CSU has ever held a single-party governing majority in Germany since the Federal Republic was re-established in 1949.
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Republic → lead → 1949
Janek Treiber, a political science researcher at Dresden University of Technology, told Fox News Digital that if the AfD does win outright in Saxony-Anhalt, their policy influence would be limited due to the German federal system, but warned "you must not underestimate the political symbol this would give.
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this → tell → symbol
That a single party, and a right-wing party, could rule a German state…
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party → rule → state
The symbol that these parties, that have been ruling Germany since 1949 or the East since 1990, they now lose control.
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they → rule → control
They now lose power.
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They → lose → power
I think this is a much more important symbol than just saying, OK, (the) AfD will change this or that in its local school system or university system."
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AfD → think → system
Schatz described the AfD "a nationalist, anti-immigration party on the far right that has become a powerful vehicle for voter anger at Germany’s political establishment — especially in the former East Germany.
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that → describe → Germany
It campaigns for much tighter immigration, a stronger emphasis on German national identity, rejection of much of the green agenda and a softer line toward Russia."
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It → campaign → Russia
An outright win for the AfD, even in Germany’s 6th smallest state, would break through the political establishment’s so-called "Brandmauer," or "firewall."
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win → break → Brandmauer
Simply put, other parties refuse to work with the AfD, which is currently the second-largest party in the Bundestag, officially the opposition party, after winning 20.8% of the vote in the February 2025 federal election.
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which → put → election
In an interview on German broadcaster ZDF, the AfD’s national co-chair, Alice Weidel, advocated for closing Germany’s borders and exiting Europe’s Schengen treaty, saying, "Illegal migration, unchecked open borders, anyone can get in.
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migration → advocate → treaty
Our internal security is suffering.
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security → suffer → ?
People are honestly fed up with this situation."
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People → feed → situation
Weidel added, "All Syrian refugees must have their protected status revoked because the reason for their flight no longer exists.
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reason → add → flight
These people must return to their homeland.
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people → return → homeland
If they don't leave voluntarily, then they must be deported by force."
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they → leave → force
Adding that many of the 1.3 million Syrians in Germany are being naturalized, "we must stop naturalizing these people who should actually be leaving our country.
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who → add → country
We have Islamization."
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We → have → Islamization
In May 2025, Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) classified the AfD as a "confirmed right-wing extremist" group, citing "anti-migrant positions and an ancestry-based definition of German identity."
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Office → classify → identity
This past February, according to Deutsche Welle, that classification was put on hold by a German court after "Judges found that while there was evidence of potentially unconstitutional statements and policies within the AfD… it said that there was not sufficient evidence to characterize the party as a whole as extremist."
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it → accord → extremist
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently told state broadcaster ARD, "I cannot imagine international investors attending a ground-breaking ceremony with an AfD Minister-President to set up new plants and establish new businesses in Saxony-Anhalt…
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investors → tell → Anhalt
However, that is a decision for the voters in Saxony-Anhalt to make.
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voters → make → Anhalt
The state will suffer considerable damage if things turn out as we now fear they might."
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they → suffer → damage
This has done little to damage the popularity of the AfD’s lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt, Ulrich Siegmund.
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This → do → Anhalt
In a state of just over 2 million people, he has a TikTok following of over 700,000.
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he → have → 700,000
A Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) report said Siegmund’s "polished appearance and professional tone lend respectability, and radical demands blend with footage of a community-oriented politician responding to audience questions…
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politician → say → questions
The AfD’s physical presence in the streets and omnipresence in the media helps to push the common populist ‘us versus them’ narrative: The AfD is here for you, the other parties are not."
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parties → help → you
According to the independent, non-partisan German website Wahlrecht.de, which tracks federal and state election polling, ahead of Sunday’s vote in Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD holds a 41%-23% lead over the CDU, followed by three leftist parties.
uncertain
AfD → accord → parties
A party or a coalition needs at least half of the seats to control parliament and name a state Minister-President, essentially a governor.
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party → need → President
So how can a party with only 43% win an election outright?
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party → win → election
That comes down to Germany’s unique election system.
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That → come → system
"German voters cast two ballots," Schatz says, "One for a local candidate — like voting for your congressman - and one for a party.
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Schatz → cast → party
That second vote, the party vote, is the one that counts.
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that → count → ?
It decides how many seats each party gets in parliament."
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party → decide → parliament
But there is a caveat: "Any party that falls below 5% gets nothing — zero seats — and those votes are effectively thrown out.
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votes → be → nothing
Right now, several smaller parties are hovering right at that line.
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parties → hover → line
…and 12 more, not listed.
