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.
asserted
Alternative → head → rivals
Although it is projected to fall short of a majority, the AfD says it has won a mandate to govern.
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it → project → mandate
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.
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results → win → %
Charismatic leader in the state, Ulrich Siegmund, said it was "sensational" and they wanted to start governing as soon as possible.
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they → say → state
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.
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governing → win → policing
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.
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AfD → have → Siegmund
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.
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they → reveal → 2021
Commentators and political opponents spoke of the outcome as a watershed and break with the past.
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Commentators → speak → past
Main TV channel Das Erste cancelled its legendary crime drama Tatort to focus on what the result meant.
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result → cancel → what
"This isn't just about Saxony-Anhalt," Siegmund told supporters.
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Siegmund → tell → supporters
US President Donald Trump posted a screenshot of the German TV projection on his Truth Social platform, and then Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev took a screengrab of Trump's post and praised a "historic win for the pragmatic AfD".
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Dmitriev → post → AfD
Dmitriev had earlier praised the Russia-friendly AfD as "the party of hope and reason, co-operation truth and hope for Germany".
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Dmitriev → praise → Germany
Ahead of Germany's federal election last year, US Vice-President JD Vance endorsed the party, in a move criticised in Germany as political interference.
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Vance → endorse → interference
Polish centre-right Prime Minister Donald Tusk saw the result very differently, saying "in Poland only idiots and traitors can rejoice at the triumph of the AfD".
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idiots → see → AfD
Without enough seats to form a majority government, Ulrich Siegmund has so far refused to lead a minority government, even though the party's national leaders see it as a possibility.
"If necessary there'll just be new elections, then we'd just get 50 or 55%," said Siegmund, while saying he was prepared to work with individual MPs or a party.
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he → form → MPs
For hours it was unclear whether the BSW would reach the 5% threshold needed to enter parliament, although interim results showed it had succeeded.
uncertain
it → reach → parliament
Had it failed, then the AfD would have seen its chances of a majority increase.
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chances → fail → majority
The AfD is currently heading for 39 seats in the 83-seat state parliament instead of the 42 needed for an outright majority.
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AfD → head → majority
A crowd of supporters at the AfD election night party HQ erupted in cheers as the projections came up on the screen.
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projections → erupt → screen
A short while later, people burst into singing Germany's national anthem.
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people → burst → anthem
"We have made history in this state," Siegmund said.
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Siegmund → make → state
His opposite number in the CDU, Sven Schulze, conceded victory as he watched the conservative vote slump by more than half on the previous election.
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vote → concede → election
"This was an extremely tough and intensive election campaign," said Schulze, adding that his party would have to deal with the result.
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party → say → result
Germany's centre-left SPD described the outcome as "truly dramatic" and national leader Lars Klingbeil, whose party is in government nationally with the CDU, described the outcome as a "signal to Berlin" and he was adamant that they would hear it.
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they → describe → it
The anti-migration AfD stands for Alternative für Deutschland.
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AfD → stand → Deutschland
It has not only dominated the election campaign, it is emerging as the dominant force in the result and its supporters believe they are on the march.
Turnout in Saxony-Anhalt was particularly high at 76.7%, and AfD supporters in Magdeburg praised Siegmund's success in winning over voters.
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supporters → dominate → voters
One man called Ollie said: "This man gives us what no-one else can give.
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one → call → what
"No matter what government, they all just promise things to get better.
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they → promise → things
This is a party for the working people.
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This → work → people
It is the alternative for Germany," he told the BBC.
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he → tell → BBC
Another AfD voter called Bert said people in the east could sense things were not going well: "Things need to improve for us, for my family - I have three children.
uncertain
I → call → children
I'm in fear, I'm really in fear that safety erodes more and more."
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safety → erode → fear
Other parties refuse to go into coalition with the AfD, operating a Brandmauer or firewall aimed at keeping the far right out of government.
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parties → refuse → government
In Saxony-Anhalt, the BSW has offered to co-operate with the AfD on some issues if it gets into the state parliament.
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it → offer → parliament
The AfD leads the opinion polls nationally, ahead of the ruling conservatives of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the Social Democrats, but their heartland lies in the eastern states.
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heartland → lead → states
They also won the 2024 state election in neighbouring Thuringia, but failed to secure enough seats to win power.
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They → win → power
Among the AfD's policies is a highly controversial plan for "remigration", which is widely understood to mean mass deportations of migrants, although the party says it refers to deporting criminals and those in the country illegally.
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it → understand → country
It would not be able to achieve either if it ran the government of one of 16 states.
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it → achieve → states
But it would have significant local powers.
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it → have → powers
The party has been particularly critical of the Bauhaus school of design which the Nazis shut down in the city of Dessau in Saxony-Anhalt after they came to power in 1933.
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they → shut → 1933
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
