AfD scores historic win in Saxony-Anhalt
AfD leaders said the result represented a clear mandate to govern, but the party’s path to power remained uncertain after the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) ruled out cooperation.
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel described the result as “historic,” saying the party had broken electoral records in eastern Germany and would continue to gain support at the federal level.
She called the result a “very clear mandate to govern” and criticized Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU for maintaining its refusal to cooperate with the AfD.
AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla also described the result as “sensational” and said the party had achieved a major breakthrough.
CDU rejects cooperation
Saxony-Anhalt Premier Sven Schulze ruled out forming a government with the AfD.
“I have no intention of working with the AfD,” Schulze told public broadcaster MDR after the vote, while stressing that coalition negotiations had not yet begun.
CDU Secretary General Franziska Hoppermann also rejected cooperation with the AfD, saying the party would not work with extremists or the far right.
She said the election result would not affect the federal government’s four-year mandate.
Government formation uncertain
According to early ARD projections, the AfD was on course for 44.4%, while the CDU fell to a historic low of 18.4%.
Despite its record result, the AfD was projected to remain short of a majority in the state parliament in Magdeburg.
With the major parties ruling out cooperation with the AfD, the election result could lead to lengthy coalition negotiations and an uncertain path to forming a government.
The AfD is classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist organization by Saxony-Anhalt’s state domestic intelligence agency.
Protests held across Germany
Thousands of people demonstrated against the AfD in several German cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt and Mainz, according to the German Press Agency.
In Berlin, protesters marched through the government district under the slogan “Defend Democracy! – Ban the AfD Now!”
Another major demonstration is planned for Monday evening at the Brandenburg Gate. Police expect around 5,000 people to attend.
Source:AA
