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.
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party → surge → II
The party of Germany's unpopular leader, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, slumped to a disastrous result in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.
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party → slump → Anhalt
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.
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party → say → mandate
Ulrich Siegmund, 35, told public broadcaster ARD that voters had sent a signal that "things cannot carry on like this."
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things → tell → this
He said that "a very good campaigner for us in this election campaign was Friedrich Merz."
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campaigner → say → campaign
AfD wanted to govern on its own
Alternative for Germany, or AfD, was seeking an absolute majority in the state legislature to govern alone and overcome the so-called firewall of mainstream parties' refusal to work with AfD.
Final results showed AfD falling three seats short, with 39 lawmakers in an 83-member parliament.
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AfD → want → parliament
Mr. Siegmund said it wouldn't engage in "games" such as a minority government.
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it → say → government
But it wasn't evident how its divided opponents could assemble any stable government without it.
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opponents → divide → it
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.
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economy → have → voters
Whether or not AfD ends up governing, the result is a blow to Mr. Merz, whose centre-right party has led Saxony-Anhalt for 24 years.
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party → end → years
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.
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Germany → have → government
AfD is the biggest opposition party in Germany's national parliament and is strongest in the formerly communist and less prosperous east, where Saxony-Anhalt is located.
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Anhalt → locate → east
Its regional branch in Saxony-Anhalt is one of several classified as a proven right-wing extremist group by the domestic intelligence agency, which points to members' denigration of migrants from Muslim countries among other things.
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which → classify → things
The party talks of "remigration," a politically charged term for the deportation of immigrants.
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party → talk → immigrants
Its leader in a neighbouring state appealed two convictions for knowingly using a Nazi slogan.
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leader → neighbour → slogan
AfD vehemently rejects accusations of extremism and says they're politically motivated.
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they → reject → extremism
Big decline for German leader's party
AfD won 43.8% of the vote, more than double its showing five years ago in the region of 2.1 million people west of Berlin.
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AfD → win → Berlin
That was far ahead of Merz's Christian Democratic Union, which polled 17.2% — losing about half its support — and won 15 seats.
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which → poll → seats
The centre-left Social Democrats polled 9.3%, the Greens 8.9% and the Left Party 8.6%, winning eight seats apiece.
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Party → poll → seats
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.
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it → say → %
AfD appeared to have won over many people who didn't vote at all five years ago.
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who → appear → people
AfD's national co-leader, Alice Weidel, described the result as "sensational" and said that "we have received a very clear mandate to govern here."
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we → describe → mandate
The party's "hand is outstretched to all who want to make Saxony-Anhalt better and move Germany forward," she said.
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she → outstretche → Germany
It may hope to attract defectors from other parties.
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It → hope → parties
Mr. Schulze congratulated AfD on becoming the state's strongest political force and said that "we as the CDU will also have to deal with this result," without specifying how.
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we → congratulate → result
Franziska Hoppermann, the national general secretary of Mr. Merz's party, rejected backing off its refusal to deal with AfD.
"
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Hoppermann → reject → AfD.
It wants to leave the euro; that would be economic downfall ...
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that → want → euro
it works closely together with Russia, it wants a completely different social model," she said.
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she → work → model
"We will not work with them."
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We → work → them
AfD won a state election but didn't end up governing.
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AfD → win → election
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.
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AfD → neighbour → majority
Any attempt by Mr. Schulze to put together an alliance against AfD would be delicate because it would require at least some tacit support from the Left Party, a hard-left party with which the CDU refuses to form coalitions.
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CDU → put → coalitions
Germany's states have extensive powers
Germany's 16 states have extensive powers, for example in overseeing security matters and running the education system.
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states → have → system
Mr. Siegmund has listed among his top priorities "a deportation offensive" and dropping incentives for people to come to Germany and "exploit our social system."
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people → list → system
He wants to initiate a long process to withdraw Saxony-Anhalt from the regional public broadcaster, citing concerns about "disinformation."
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He → want → disinformation
AfD in Saxony-Anhalt wants to allow home schooling, which so far isn't permitted in Germany.
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which → want → Germany
It pledges to ban schools from officially raising the rainbow flag and ensure they fly the national flag.
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they → pledge → flag
It opposes taxpayers' money being "given away" to Ukraine and says it would push to lift sanctions against Russia, but that isn't a matter state governments can decide.
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governments → oppose → Russia
The 16 states' governments also sit in Germany's upper house of parliament, which has to approve some government legislation.
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which → sit → legislation
The influence there of Saxony-Anhalt, one of the smaller states in a nation of 83.5 people, is limited — it controls four of the 69 votes.
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it → control → votes
The Aporia
