Over the weekend, far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) secured the most votes of any party at a German state election.
AfD, led by candidate Ulrich Siegmund, attracted around 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt, more than double the next most popular party.
It has not secured enough votes to form a majority government, however, and other parties have a “firewall” against AfD, meaning they will not form a coalition with it.
Here’s what you need to know.
AfD
AfD is a far-right political party, formed in 2013 by former members of centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
Experts have called it the most successful far-right party in Germany since World War II.
Support for AfD has increased over the years, with the party attracting 20.8% of votes at Germany’s national election last year, up from 10.4% in 2021.
Across those two elections, support has broadly shifted from the left-wing Social Democratic Party (SPD) to AfD and the CDU.
Election
Germany has 16 states, including Saxony-Anhalt, which has around 2.1 million people.
On Sunday, its residents voted in a state election.
Preliminary election results show AfD received around 44% of votes, more than double the next highest party, CDU.
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AfD is estimated to secure 39 of 83 seats, just under the 42 needed to form an absolute majority.
In Germany, parties historically work together in large coalitions to form government.
The head of the party with the most votes usually takes on the role of leader.
In Saxony-Anhalt, AfD’s lead candidate was Ulrich Siegmund, who investigative journalism magazine Der Spiegel last month described as “Germany’s most dangerous man,” with what it called “extremist baggage”.
Siegmund went on to sign copies of the magazine for AfD supporters.
“This is a political earthquake, also directed towards Berlin... Together, we have shown that we want to make history, that we’ve had enough of being patronised, and that we finally want to reclaim our old, secure Germany.”
Siegmund in a video shared to X on Sunday evening (local time).
What’s next?
Preliminary results show that AfD has not attracted enough votes to form a majority government.
This means it cannot lead on its own.
Political parties, including CDU, have previously declared a “firewall” against AfD, meaning they refuse to partner with the far-right party.
CDU also adopted similar measures in the past against the Left Party.
This means Saxony-Anhalt’s government is in a stalemate until a resolution is made.
