The far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has gained a record high number of votes in Saxony-Anhalt's election, sending shockwaves across Germany.
On Sunday, the eastern German state held regional elections during which the AfD won 43.8 percent of the vote, a rise of 23 percent since the last election in 2021.
However, it fell short of securing an absolute majority, winning 39 of the 83 seats in the state legislature.
The result is widely considered to be a major defeat for Germany's ruling party, the Christian Democratic Party (CDU). After several hours of silence, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gave his response on Monday afternoon.
"We are all in deep shock," Merz said, revealing that he did not expect the results "to look like this".
