The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) achieved its best-ever election result in the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, winning well over 40% of the vote and leaving all other parties far behind.
However, the party lacks the majority of seats in parliament needed to govern on its own. Because the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt has been classified as "confirmed far-right extremist" by the domestic intelligence agency, other parties announced that cooperation with the AfD was out of the question. This will make forming a government in the eastern German state quite difficult.
The day after the election, party leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla held a press conference in Berlin. They were joined by the winner of the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund.
Even though the AfD narrowly missed its main election goal of being able to govern alone with an absolute majority, it is now more confident than ever before. The party leaders made clear that they are thinking not just about Saxony-Anhalt, but about all of Germany, and are convinced they will govern the whole country in the not-so-distant future.
"The CDU/CSU will never again be able to win a federal election. That is a fact," party co-chair Weidel announced in reference to the center-right bloc of the Christian Democratic Union and Christian Social Union, which leads the national government.
