Story summary
Germany's far-right AfD party is poised to win a regional election in Saxony-Anhalt, which could make it the first far-right party to hold state power since World War II. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has been gaining popularity in recent years, and its candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, has been campaigning on a platform of restricting immigration, quitting the Euro, and restoring ties with Russia.
Polls indicate that the AfD is leading with around 44% of the vote, more than double its showing five years ago. The party's popularity has been boosted by popular disillusionment with successive governments in Berlin and support from formerly communist states in the east. If the AfD wins, it would be a historic shift in German politics, as the party seeks to overcome the "firewall" of mainstream parties' refusal to work with them.
The election is seen as a key test for the far-right party's ability to form a government, and a win could have significant implications for Germany's politics. The AfD's platform includes proposals such as creating separate classrooms for refugees, normalizing relations with Russia through student exchange programs, and promoting a patriotism agenda that focuses less on the country's Nazi past.
The election is taking place in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, where around 2.1 million people are eligible to vote. The outcome is seen as uncertain, but experts predict that the AfD will emerge as the dominant party in the region. A win for the AfD would be a significant blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative CDU party, which currently leads the state.
The election has been closely watched by observers both within Germany and internationally, with many seeing it as a potential harbinger of far-right movements across Europe. The AfD's use of social media, particularly TikTok, has also been noted, with its candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, having amassed around 10 times the number of followers on the platform as there are eligible voters in Saxony-Anhalt.
The outcome of the election is still uncertain, but one thing is clear: a win for the far-right AfD party would be a significant turning point in German politics.
Written for “Germany's Far-Right Political Rise” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 50 other(s) covering the same event.
Germany's far-right achieves an electoral breakthrough in key state election
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right → achieve → election
Germany's populist, far-right Alternative for Germany party has declared victory in the state of Saxony-Anhalt after more than doubling its share of the vote in the first of several regional elections this fall.
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party → declare → elections
Falling just shy of an absolute majority, it's not yet clear whether the AfD will be able to govern the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
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AfD → fall → Anhalt
But the outcome is already causing a political earthquake.
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outcome → cause → earthquake
According to preliminary final results, the AfD won 43.8% of the vote — its strongest performance in any German state election, which puts the far-right party within reach of power for the first time since the time of Nazi Germany.
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The center-right Christian Democratic Union more than halved its share of the vote, falling to a historic low of 17.2%.
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Union → halve → %
The centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) received 9.3%, the Greens 8.9%, and the Left party 8.6%
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Greens → receive → %
All of these parties refuse to form a coalition with the AfD.
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But the AfD can come to power with the help of BSW, a small, anti-immigration, left-wing populist party.
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AfD → come → BSW
BSW got 5.3% of the vote on Sunday, potentially giving it enough seats to form a parliamentary majority with the AfD — something the party has not ruled out.
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party → get → AfD
AfD's candidate for state governor, Ulrich Siegmund, said the result "sends a very clear signal to Berlin: this is the end of the line; people don't want to go on like this.
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people → say → this
"
"They want their good, old, secure Germany back," Siegmund told German public broadcaster, ARD.
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Siegmund → want → broadcaster
Christian Democrat candidate Sven Schulze took to the stage on Sunday evening to congratulate the AfD on its win.
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Schulze → take → win
While polls had shown the AfD with a comfortable lead for weeks, the CDU fared worse than predicted.
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CDU → show → weeks
Whether Schulze will attempt to cobble together a "firewall" coalition — a platform by Germany's main political parties to keep the AfD out of government — is unclear.
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attempt → attempt → government
Such a strategy would require the Christian Democrats and others to work with the far-left party, Die Linke — something the conservatives refuse to do.
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conservatives → require → party
Addressing supporters, Schulze sounded resigned.
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Schulze → address → supporters
"Some say this is a dark day for Saxony-Anhalt.
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this → say → Anhalt
I say this is democracy," he said.
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he → say → ?
Alice Weidel, co-chair of AfD at the federal level, told public broadcaster ZDF that the CDU will never win another election.
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CDU → tell → election
She said the AfD is seeing "explosive growth" across the country.
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AfD → say → country
In Saxony-Anhalt, that growth is down to 35-year-old Siegmund, a former marketing executive and a salesman who, observers say, showed a knack for packaging his party's policies in positive slogans and pop-star-like appearances at campaign events and on TikTok.
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observers → say → TikTok
His personable and amiable style is uncharacteristically upbeat for the AfD and he distinguishes himself from others in the party for being more happy-go-lucky than angry.
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he → distinguish → party
Germany's domestic intelligence classifies the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt as extremist.
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intelligence → classify → Anhalt
Its regional platform is the party's most radical and is seen by the AfD as a blueprint for the rest of Germany.
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platform → see → Germany
If Siegmund ends up as state governor, he will be privy to foreign and domestic intelligence, which is a major concern for the other parties considering the AfD's push to revive relations with Russia.
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which → end → Russia
Several state interior ministers from Germany's other 15 states say they are already preparing to meet separately.
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they → say → states
At the top of their platform agenda is what the AfD calls its "remigration" policy, which promises mass deportations.
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which → call → deportations
Speaking to public broadcaster ARD on Sunday night, Siegmund spelled out the policy in more detail.
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Siegmund → speak → detail
"Remigration is far more than just deportation," he said, adding that "remigration applies to anyone who does not contribute to society."
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who → say → society
He included Ukrainian refugees without jobs.
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The AfD also wants to segregate refugees and disabled children in schools and revamp the curriculum to focus on what it refers to as a "more positive" teaching of Germany's history.
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it → want → history
After the results, Siegmund declared: "We have made history in this country."
"This isn't just about Saxony-Anhalt," he told supporters, "It's a signal for the whole of Germany - a self-confident signal."
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On Sunday evening, President Trump posted a screenshot of the projected election results on Truth Social.
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Trump → post → Social
Trump's post was shared by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who described the result as a "historic win."
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who → share → win
The AfD has called for an end to support for Ukraine and seeking to revoke the refugee protections currently granted to Ukrainians.
Also among those hailing AfD's success was Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
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Musk → call → success
In response, Siegmund thanked Musk for his "support" and "clear and highly important perspective on the political developments of our time.
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Siegmund → thank → time
But neighboring Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk took a very different view, posting on X that "in Poland, only idiots or traitors can rejoice at the triumph of the AfD in Germany."
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idiots → neighbor → Germany
France's Europe minister, Benjamin Haddad, described the election results as a "grave moment in Europe."
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minister → describe → Europe
