AfD just won 44% in a German state. Now Germany's firewall faces its biggest test.

Live updates

1. 7d ago

   AfD Wins 44% in Saxony-Anhalt State Election

   The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won 44% of the vote in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, marking the party's best-ever result. While the AfD has called for other parties to work with it, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has ruled out any cooperation, stating the result shook his party to its foundations. Despite the victory, the AfD may fail to secure a majority and requires help from other parties to take power. The result has raised alarms across Europe regarding the stability of the continent's anti-fascist consensus.

   Why it matters

   Germany's postwar democracy was designed to prevent the return of right-wing extremism through a political "firewall" that isolates far-right parties. The AfD has built its support through nativist appeals and opposition to immigration. German intelligence has previously labeled the party as extremist and xenophobic.

   What is confirmed

   • The AfD won 44% of the vote in the Saxony-Anhalt state election.
   • Chancellor Friedrich Merz ruled out working with the AfD.
   • The AfD has been labeled as extremist and xenophobic by German intelligence.
   • The AfD's platform includes separate schools for refugees and mass deportations.

   Still unconfirmed

   • The AfD may fail to secure a majority in the state election.
   • The result delivers a blow to Merz and serves as a warning to Europe.

   What to watch next

   • Whether the AfD can secure a coalition partner to take power
   • The formation of the state government in Saxony-Anhalt
   • Further reactions from European Union leaders regarding the shift in German politics
   Sources used for this update (22)

   1. The Guardian — Far-right AfD wins key German state election but may fail to secure majority
   2. Axios — AfD just won 44% in a German state. Now Germany's firewall faces its biggest test.
   3. BBC — Germany's AfD calls for parties to work with it after Saxony-Anhalt win
   4. The New York Times — After Victory in German State, Far Right Needs Help to Take Power
   5. The Economist — The Alternative for Germany has won its best-ever election result
   6. The New York Times — Germany’s ‘Firewall’ Against the Far Right Is Being Tested Like Never Before
   7. CNN — Mass deportations and separate schools for refugees: The far-right AfD’s vision for Germany
   8. AP News — AfD party’s landslide win in eastern Germany tests country’s ‘firewall’ against the far right
   9. WSJ — After Far-Right Triumph, Merz Faces Narrow Path to Save His Government
   10. Reuters — Saxony-Anhalt election delivers a blow to Merz and a warning to Europe
   11. time.com — The AfD Is Rising. Germany’s Political Center Is Failing.
   12. The New York Times — Containing Germany’s Far Right
   confidence 90%