The far-right Alternative for Germany party won a regional election in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, but fell three seats short of an absolute majority. Ulrich Siegmund said the party had written history and had a clear mandate to govern, while the result dealt a blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his CDU. AfD won 43.8 percent of the vote and turnout reached 77.8 percent. The party still faces resistance from mainstream parties, which refuse to work with it.
Ulrich Siegmund, left, far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)'s main candidate in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, addresses supporters next to his wife Julia Siegmund at the AfD's election party following Saxony-Anhalt's state elections in Magdeburg, eastern Germany, Sept. 6. AFP-Yonhap
MAGDEBURG, Germany — The far-right Alternative for Germany party surged to a resounding victory in a regional election Sunday, but fell a little short of winning a majority in its quest to form the country’s first far-right state government since World War II.
The party of Germany’s unpopular leader, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, slumped to a disastrous result in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. The anti-migration and Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany’s candidate for governor said that “we have written history” and the party had a clear mandate to govern.
