AfD wins 43.8% in Saxony-Anhalt regional election as CDU support drops to 17.2%

Vote count and parliamentary representation

In the regional election held on 6 September 2026 across Saxony-Anhalt, a state of 2 million residents in eastern Germany, Alternative for Germany (AfD) took first place with 43.8% of the vote. The result more than doubled the party's 20.8% share from the 2021 regional ballot. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), led nationally by Chancellor Friedrich Merz, finished second with 17.2%, approximately half of its previous regional standing.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) received 9.3% of the vote, followed by the Greens at 8.9% and Die Linke at 8.5%. The Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), founded in early 2024 by former Die Linke vice president Sahra Wagenknecht, cleared the 5% parliamentary entry threshold with 5.3%. Under the proportional representation system, the AfD finished three seats short of an absolute majority in the state parliament.

Coalition negotiations and the firewall policy

To form a regional executive, the AfD requires partners in the state legislature. Mainstream parties, including the CDU, SPD, Greens, and Die Linke, have maintained a firewall policy (Brandmauer) refusing any governing coalition with the AfD. AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund announced on Monday, 7 September 2026, that his party would seek discussions with individual lawmakers and factions to assemble a working majority.

Newly elected BSW parliamentary group leader Thomas Schulze stated that his group would engage in dialogue with all parties represented in the parliament. However, BSW co-leader Amira Mohamed Ali dismissed the prospect of an agreement during a broadcast on WDR5 radio.

Honestly, I do not think that many of our proposals would be implemented, because we have very few points in common.

Candidate profile and administrative proposals

The 35-year-old AfD campaign leader, Ulrich Siegmund, was born in 1990 shortly after German reunification. After completing commercial training and studying business psychology and management, he founded an ambient fragrance company in Berlin. Siegmund spent several years in the CDU before joining the AfD in 2014, one year after its foundation.

Following the ballot, the AfD announced plans for personnel restructuring within the regional administration. These planned replacements specifically target top posts in the civil service, including the state interior intelligence agency that previously monitored the party. On Tuesday, 8 September 2026, the AfD sent official invitation letters to all other parties in the state parliament for exploratory discussions.

National repercussions and European reactions

The result in Saxony-Anhalt follows the 2025 federal elections, in which the AfD secured 19.9% of the national vote to become Germany's second-largest parliamentary force. Speaking after the regional vote, Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed distress over the CDU's performance in the state.

Our party is shaken to its foundations. We cannot continue as if nothing happened. Neither can I, nor the government.

The outcome drew scrutiny across the European Union, particularly in France. French political figures referenced European history and the upcoming 2027 French presidential election, where National Rally and Reconquête leaders evaluated the German party's trajectory.