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The party won key regional elections by a landslide with at least 44 percent of the vote. Photo by Tobias Schwarz / AFP via Getty Images)The right-wing Alternative for Germany scored its best-ever result in a state election on Sunday amid growing public discontent with the political establishment, delivering a powerful blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the country’s political establishment.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe AfD secured 44 per cent of the vote in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, more than doubling its support and putting it ahead of the long-governing Christian Democratic Union, whose backing collapsed to 17.5 per cent, according to a projection broadcast by ARD. That would leave the AfD only three seats short of an outright majority in the state legislature.The victory amounts to one of the biggest challenges yet to the parties that have governed the federal republic since the aftermath of World War II. Merz, who kept well away from voters on the campaign trail, will have to grapple with the fallout after his CDU performed worse than expected amid sluggish economic growth and rising energy prices.Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThe AfD, parts of which are considered by German domestic intelligence as a right-wing threat to the constitutional order, has capitalized on the frustration, tapping into public grievances with its call to halt migration, end efforts to tackle climate change and restore relations with Russia.“This is the foundation — this is the basis on which the first AfD-led government in Germany will thrive, here in Saxony-Anhalt and then throughout Germany,” the AfD’s lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, told supporters at party headquarters in the state capital Magdeburg.AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said the party will reach out to potential partners, including disaffected lawmakers from the CDU, to assemble a government.Short of an outright AfD majority, any coalition building has the potential to run into deadlock. Others entering parliament are the Social Democrats with 9.2 per cent, the Greens at 8.9 per cent and the anti-capitalist Left party with 8.6 per cent. BSW, a breakaway party founded by former Left leader Sahra Wagenknecht, also cleared the five per cent threshold to win seats, the projection showed.CDU state premier Sven Schulze said that state voters “sent a signal,” though the party has repeatedly said it won’t work with the AfD.“Some say this is a dark day for Saxony-Anhalt,” Schulze told party members. “I say that this is democracy.”Saxony-Anhalt, which has the lowest GDP per capita of Germany’s 16 states, has a population of around two million. Since Germany reunified, the region has seen its population decline more sharply than any other state, with the number of inhabitants having fallen by more than a quarter between 1990 and 2024.During a rush of campaigning ahead of the vote, Siegmund drew thousands to festival-like events, where supporters clamoured for autographs and selfies. It was a clear demonstration of the party’s growing support — and a contrast with Merz, who made two appearances in the state that involved statements to reporters.Siegmund has said that if he fails to gain the necessary majority to lead the state as premier, he would wait out the political chaos that he said would ensue if the CDU formed a government, which he predicted would last “a few months.” The AfD will simply gain more in the next election, he told Bloomberg: “We can only win.”Merz has warned that the AfD would send Germany “into the abyss.” Business leaders have warned of deterring investment. Domestic counterintelligence has categorized elements of the party as a threat to democratic institutions, placing them under increased surveillance.But the party has continued to gain public support. In Saxony-Anhalt, its leaders have discussed plans to set up a state-funded “deportation task force,” to purge the ranks of civil servants — and to overhaul the education system to expunge it of “left-wing indoctrination.”Even as its popularity has grown, the party has coalesced around an ethno-nationalist ideology and shed much of its more moderate language, according to Germany’s federal counterintelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. In its annual report issued in June, it said an increased number of party officials have openly adopted the concept of “remigration,” or large-scale expulsions.That has isolated it in Europe, even among far-right peers. France’s Marine Le Pen ended cooperation with the party in 2024 after an AfD lawmaker said in an interview that not every Nazi SS member should be considered a criminal. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy has embraced transatlantic ties, has kept her distance given the AfD’s closeness to Russia.Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.