Germany’s far-right AfD win historic victory, but fall short of majority in Saxony-Anhalt | CNN

Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt —

‌The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has secured a historic victory in the eastern region of Saxony-Anhalt, the closest a far-right party has come to holding power in a German state since World War II.

The party leaders and their lead candidate were overjoyed as the results were read out, whooping and backslapping as they secured their “historic” victory with 44% of the votes, according to preliminary results.

The win delivered the AfD 39 of 83 seats in parliament, just short of the 42 it needed for an absolute majority.

The party’s route to a majority may lie with working in a coalition, potentially with the far-left Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) party, which passed the 5% threshold to enter parliament – though the AfD has signaled it’s not interested in a deal.