by Gregor Spitzen
[REGNUM] The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won 43.8% of the vote in the state parliament elections in Saxony-Anhalt, slightly exceeding the forecasts of leading German polling agencies and improving its result from the 2021 elections by 23%.
Meanwhile, the region's ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which received 37.1% of the vote in 2021, suffered one of its heaviest defeats in history yesterday, finishing with 17.2%.
The AfD's success is due, in part, to the widespread mobilization of those who typically don't participate in elections. On Sunday, approximately 80% of all eligible voters cast their ballots.
| That’s practically a totalitarian society number, yet it was entirely voluntary. People feel strongly. If only the CDU had addressed the issues, they could have swept the field. |
Judging by the haggard faces of the political commentators and the sour expression of the CDU Minister-President of Saxony-Anhalt, Sven Schulze, who was forced to mumble words of congratulations to the AfD in a trembling voice, emphasizing that the democratic choice of citizens must be respected, whatever it may be, one might have thought that Germany had been rocked by a political cataclysm of unprecedented proportions.
Akin to what paralyzed the United States ten years ago after Donald Trump's first presidential victory, with the howls of liberal youth in Times Square, protests at Ivy League universities, and the demonstrative departures of Hollywood stars to Canada.
Indeed, one can speak of a demoralizing defeat for the established political parties in Germany. The people of the region have truly said a resounding "no!" to the political mainstream, primarily the Chancellor's party, which holds power in both Berlin and Magdeburg.
On the eve of the elections, the leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Saxony-Anhalt, Ulrich Siegmund, intoxicated by optimistic forecasts, refused to hear anything other than the creation of a single-party government with an absolute majority, which he would be able to form after a resounding victory. Although he emphasized on television that "as a democrat, I will always extend a hand to all forces that want to achieve a fundamental change in this country."
Meanwhile, the "tactical voting" campaign launched in the systemic media has yielded results. The essence of this technique is as follows: a vote is cast for any "democratic" party balancing on the edge of the 5% threshold in the region—for example, the Greens or the SPD.
If they had not received 5% of the vote, the losers' votes would have been distributed among the winners - and the AfD would then have received enough mandates to govern alone.
The SPD, however, received 9.3%, while the Greens received 8.9%, thus depriving the Alternative for Germany of any chance of a single-party government. However, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW)—a formally left-wing party whose political platform, however, overlaps with that of the right-wing winners—had an unexpectedly successful showing.
The AfD and BSW coalition is gaining enough votes to form a governing coalition. The BSW has already officially announced that it does not rule out such a collaboration, but has added, rather fervently, that it prefers a non-partisan candidate "from the church or civil society" as the Minister-President leading the state government.
Sharing power in the Magdeburg state parliament with someone else would mean the AfD would be unable to fully implement its own election program. For the ambitious Sigmund, such an option would likely be unacceptable, but the decision will be made not only by him, but by the party's federal leadership.
Perhaps he's counting on finding a few CDU MPs who will individually defect to him. However, to pull off such a move, Sigmund needs time, which the leadership isn't giving him.
According to party insiders, Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla are insisting that the leader of the Saxony-Anhalt branch demand the AfD's right to form a government and stand as a candidate in the elections.
Another possible strategy for Sigmund to come to power at the head of a majority government is to dissolve the state parliament with the help of the BSW after the second round of an unsuccessful minister-president election (this is constitutionally permissible in Saxony-Anhalt), thereby attempting to secure a majority in new elections. However, it's far from certain that such a strategy will find support among the party's top leadership.
The AfD has achieved success not only in most constituencies in Saxony-Anhalt but also across all social groups: although it remains more popular among men than women, and among blue-collar workers than among those with higher education, these differences are narrowing.
Moreover, the party is credited with significant competence in various issues: according to Wahlen, citizens trust it most in solving problems in Saxony-Anhalt in areas such as economics and education.
It's worth noting that even if the AfD gains sole power in the region, governing Saxony-Anhalt will be a very difficult task for the party. The coffers of one of Germany's poorest federal states are empty. The region's debt amounts to nearly €25 billion, with approximately €11,500 per capita—one of the highest in the country. So, the scale of the protest vote is, on the one hand, not surprising.
| If they can cut spending on migrant colonists, if only by such people moving to more welcoming areas of Germany, that would make a difference. If the level of criminality goes down as a result, the voters very likely will count it as a win, even if other goals are not met because the federal government is playing silly games. |
| President Trump’s opponents got a lot of blame for stymying so many of his promises, because they boasted about it, rather than him being entirely blamed for failure to execute. |
| Just concentrate on the German version of potholes and restoring law and order, guys. When you master those, then you can think about bigger issues. |
In short, it's too early for German liberal democracy advocates to throw tantrums (which, incidentally, has rarely stopped them).
| Heh. |
No one at the federal level intends to lift the "firewall" prohibiting cooperation with the AfD for established political forces. And the right-wing party's prospects outside Saxony-Anhalt are far more limited.
| We’ll see. Success breeds success, as they say. Even if they don’t win more elections (Mecklenburg and Berlin are next on September 20th), this is a perfect chance to show what they can do, which will impact all elections between now and federal elections in 2029. |
Moreover, the Chancellor himself acknowledges this, stating on September 7 that his alliance “suffered a dramatic defeat in the elections, which marks a profound turning point for the party.
| One can only hope they learn the right lessons from this instead of the wrong ones. We pray for Germany, as we do for all. |
The "far right" party is headed by a lesbian feminist with a wife from Sri Lanka? https://t.co/s1Ft036Y6I
— Wilfred Reilly (@wil_da_beast630) September 7, 2026
🇩🇪 Likely future leader of Germany:
— Casey Krol (@CaseyKrol) September 6, 2026
“In my first 100 days. I will close the borders, eliminate social benefits for migrants and carry out Germany’s largest deportations.”
Today her party had a historic election win. pic.twitter.com/fhNAUwXny3
Related:
Alternative for Germany: 2026-09-07 German authorities unearth 21 explosives after electricity grid attack
Alternative for Germany: 2026-09-07 Right-wing AfD party notches historic win in Germany: ‘We are going to see explosive growth’ (if AfD is permitted to form a government)
Alternative for Germany: 2026-08-31 'It's impudence': The fuss of the Alternative for Germany's enemies plays into its hands
Alternative for Germany: 2026-09-07 German authorities unearth 21 explosives after electricity grid attack
Alternative for Germany: 2026-09-07 Right-wing AfD party notches historic win in Germany: ‘We are going to see explosive growth’ (if AfD is permitted to form a government)
Alternative for Germany: 2026-08-31 'It's impudence': The fuss of the Alternative for Germany's enemies plays into its hands