AfD wins Saxony-Anhalt state election — strongest-ever state result, falls three seats short of majority
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won the Saxony-Anhalt state election on 6 September, taking 43.8% of the vote and 39 of 83 seats in the Landtag. The result is the party's best showing in any German state election, almost double its 2021 share, but leaves it three seats short of an absolute majority. A theoretical AfD–BSW combination would hold a narrow 44-seat majority, though BSW has said it will not support a government led by AfD's Ulrich Siegmund or by CDU incumbent Sven Schulze.
Key points
- AfD won 43.8% of the vote and 39 of 83 seats in the Saxony-Anhalt Landtag, three short of an absolute majority of 42.
- The CDU fell from 40 seats in 2021 to 15, with 17.2% of the vote; SPD, Greens and Die Linke each took 8 seats, and BSW cleared the 5% threshold with 5.3% to win 5 seats.
- AfD's share roughly doubled compared with 2021 (20.8%), recorded as the party's strongest result in any German state election.
- A theoretical AfD+BSW coalition would hold 44 seats; a CDU+SPD+Greens combination 31, and 39 with Die Linke added — all short of a majority.
- BSW says it will not support a state government led by AfD's Ulrich Siegmund or CDU's incumbent Minister-President Sven Schulze; the Landtag must convene by 6 October to elect a minister-president.
- AfD's stated platform includes ending military aid to Ukraine, lifting sanctions on Russia and restoring closer ties with Moscow; co-chair Alice Weidel said AfD would halt all aid to Ukraine and treats Ukrainian EU and NATO membership as 'absolutely excluded'.
- Elon Musk commented 'Good result' under AfD co-chair Alice Weidel's congratulatory post; former Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán called it an 'unforgettable night' and said 'this is just the beginning'; Italian Deputy PM Matteo Salvini called it a 'triumphant victory'; Slovak PM Robert Fico called it a sovereign decision; Polish PM Donald Tusk said only 'idiots or traitors' could celebrate it.
Why it matters
AfD's result is its strongest in any German state election and almost doubles its 2021 share in Saxony-Anhalt, putting the state on course for what could be the first government in Germany led by an AfD politician. The CDU lost more than half of its previous seats, prompting Chancellor Friedrich Merz to call it a shock. Because AfD's platform includes ending military aid to Ukraine, lifting sanctions on Russia and restoring closer ties with Moscow, the result has direct implications for Kyiv — even though German foreign policy is set at the federal level. International reactions, ranging from Elon Musk, Viktor Orbán, Matteo Salvini and Robert Fico welcoming the win to Donald Tusk sharply condemning those who celebrated it, show the polarisation the result has triggered across Europe.
What happened
Voters in Saxony-Anhalt went to the polls on 6 September. Preliminary official results published around 3 a.m. confirmed a victory for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which took 43.8% of the vote and 39 of 83 Landtag seats — its best result in any German state election and roughly double its 20.8% share from 2021. An earlier evening forecast had put the party at 44.5%. The CDU of incumbent Minister-President Sven Schulze received 17.2% and 15 seats, down from 40 in 2021; the SPD 9.3% and 8 seats, the Greens 8.9% and 8 seats, Die Linke 8.6% and 8 seats (down from 12), and the BSW of Sahra Wagenknecht cleared the 5% threshold with 5.3% and 5 seats. The Free Democrats (FDP) failed to clear the threshold. AfD fell three seats short of an absolute majority of 42. A theoretical AfD–BSW combination would hold 44 seats, a narrow majority; CDU–SPD–Greens would hold 31, rising to 39 with Die Linke — still short. BSW has said it will not support a state government led either by AfD's regional leader Ulrich Siegmund or by CDU's Sven Schulze, while BSW's Saxony-Anhalt leader Thomas Schulze said the party was ready to negotiate with all forces including AfD. AfD co-chair Tino Chrupalla said Siegmund would stand as the party's candidate for minister-president; the Landtag must convene by 6 October. Voter turnout was 77.8% (76.5% at 18:00, the highest at that hour since 1990). Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was deeply shocked and called the CDU result the party's worst in decades, while AfD co-chair Alice Weidel said AfD's ambition was to win over 40% nationally. Elon Musk commented 'Good result' under AfD co-chair Alice Weidel's congratulatory post on X; Siegmund replied thanking him. Former Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán called the night 'unforgettable' and added 'this is just the beginning'; Italian Deputy PM Matteo Salvini called it a 'triumphant victory'; Slovak PM Robert Fico called it a sovereign decision; Polish PM Donald Tusk said only 'idiots or traitors' in Poland could celebrate it.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
The supplied sources are all Ukrainian-language outlets, and the coverage frames the result from a Ukrainian-interests angle: AfD is consistently labelled 'pro-Russian' or 'ultra-right', and its victory is tied directly to its platform of ending military aid to Ukraine, lifting EU sanctions on Russia, restoring ties with Moscow, and treating Ukrainian EU and NATO membership as out of the question. Coverage foregrounds Alice Weidel's statement that AfD would halt all aid to Ukraine and would, in government, demand repayment of aid and compensation for damage to Nord Stream; the Saxony-Anhalt manifesto promise of free Russian-language lessons in schools; AfD foreign-policy lead Markus Frohnmaier's Moscow meetings with Russian officials and Gazprom about resuming Nord Stream; the AfD Bundestag faction's 2024 call to boycott President Volodymyr Zelensky's speech as an illegitimate 'war president'; and the 2025 classification of AfD by Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a 'confirmed right-wing extremist' organisation (temporarily blocked by a court in February 2026). Ukrainian-language headlines place the story within 'risks for Ukraine' framing, connect Saxony-Anhalt to upcoming elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin on 20 September, and note that German foreign policy is set at the federal level — so even an AfD-led state government would not by itself change Germany's Ukraine policy.
How international sources describe it
No non-Ukrainian sources were supplied in the input. The 'international' reactions in the material — Elon Musk, Viktor Orbán, Matteo Salvini and Robert Fico welcoming the win, and Donald Tusk sharply critical of those who celebrated it — are reproduced by the same Ukrainian-language outlets.
Where reporting differs
Two disagreements appear in the supplied material. First, on AfD's vote share: one article (6878) and the Reuters/Guardian round-figure reporting give 44%, while all other sources and the preliminary official result give 43.8%; an earlier evening forecast had put AfD at 44.5%. Second, on BSW's position: BSW's Saxony-Anhalt leader Thomas Schulze said the party is ready to negotiate with all forces including AfD, yet BSW has also stated it will not support a state government led by AfD's Ulrich Siegmund or by CDU's Sven Schulze — leaving the party's actual coalition stance in apparent tension.
Background
The Saxony-Anhalt Landtag has 83 seats; 42 are needed for an absolute majority. AfD took 39, the CDU 15, SPD 8, Greens 8, Die Linke 8 and BSW 5. AfD was founded in February 2013 as an association of economists and conservatives opposing the euro and bailouts for Southern European countries during the eurozone debt crisis, and first entered the Bundestag in 2017 — the first far-right Bundestag presence since World War II. BSW has said it will not support a government led by either AfD's Ulrich Siegmund or CDU incumbent Sven Schulze. In 2025, Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution classified AfD as a 'confirmed right-wing extremist' organisation; AfD is challenging the designation and a court temporarily blocked it in February 2026. Two further state elections are scheduled for 20 September — in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where AfD leads in polls, and Berlin. The next German federal election must be held by 2029. Foreign policy is set at the federal level in Germany, so even an AfD-led Saxony-Anhalt government would not by itself change Germany's Ukraine policy. The CDU has governed Saxony-Anhalt since 2002.