Far-right AfD landslide in German state piles pressure on federal government

Alternative for Germany (AfD) party members and candidates celebrate at the party headquarters following an exit poll release during Saxony-Anhalt regional elections, in Magdeburg, Germany, on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. The far-right Alternative for Germany decisively won the state election in Saxony-Anhalt amid growing public discontent with the political establishment.Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesA landslide electoral victory for the far-right in the small but significant state of Saxony-Anhalt over the weekend is sending shockwaves through Europe and piling pressure on Germany's federal government. Alternative for Germany (AfD) secured the highest share of the vote at 43.8%, well above the 17.2% of the incumbent Christian Democratic Union Party (CDU), which also leads the country's national coalition under Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Initial results show the AfD securing 39 of 83 parliamentary seats, leaving it three seats short of an outright majority and uncertain over its ability to form a new state government.A so-called "firewall" sees other parties in Germany agree not to cooperate with far-right in a way that would give it political power. However, AfD candidate Ulrich ...