AfD secures 44% in Saxony-Anhalt state election as CDU drops to 17%

Vote count and party shares

Voters in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt went to the polls across 2,130 voting stations on Sunday, 6 September 2026. Out of approximately 1.7 million eligible voters, turnout reached roughly eight in ten, up from six in ten recorded during the 2021 election. Projections on Sunday evening placed Alternative for Germany (AfD) at 44% of the vote, with some counts reaching 44.5%, more than doubling its 20.8% result from five years earlier. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which led the state administration for 25 years, fell to between 17% and 18.5%, down from 37.1% under former minister-president Reiner Haseloff in 2021. Both Alliance 90/The Greens and Die Linke secured 9% of the vote, while the Social Democratic Party (SPD) reached over 8%. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) failed to clear the 5% threshold to enter the state parliament.

Leadership reactions and extremist classification

Following initial exit polls, AfD officials claimed a mandate to lead the state government. Lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund announced that his party had achieved an unmatched result and reached out to other parliamentary factions to build an administration.

As a democrat, I extend my hand to all parties who want to bring about a turnaround in this country with us.

Party co-leader Alice Weidel stated that the electorate delivered a clear mandate to govern. Germany's domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Verfassungsschutz), classified the AfD as proven right-wing extremist three years ago. The country's primary Jewish organization condemned the outcome, while AfD published a 250-page platform proposing policy changes in education, birth promotion, and remigration.

Coalition arithmetic and BSW positioning

Because the AfD fell short of an outright majority of seats, governing depends on potential coalition alliances. CDU Minister-President Sven Schulze faces the task of assembling a four-party anti-AfD alliance with the Greens, SPD, and Die Linke. CDU policy formally prohibits coalitions with both AfD and Die Linke, though Schulze acknowledged that informal support arrangements, similar to neighboring Thuringia, remain possible.

No minister from the AfD or from Die Linke will take a seat at my coalition table.

The Links-populist Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) offered to enter talks with the AfD, despite uncertainty over whether BSW crossed the 5% parliamentary threshold. Both parties oppose German arms deliveries to Ukraine, reject defining Russia as the aggressor, and call for restructuring the domestic security apparatus.

Repercussions for the federal coalition

The result in Magdeburg creates pressure on Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who entered office promising to curb AfD gains. Mitteldeutsche Zeitung editor-in-chief Marc Rath noted that the CDU led state polls at over 30% until mid-2025. Sentiment shifted after Merz pushed legislation through the Bundestag to borrow hundreds of millions of euros, contradicting his campaign pledge against new national debt. Schulze sought distance from the chancellor during the regional race to limit fallout. CDU lawmakers in Magdeburg now face internal division, with party figures split over maintaining the firewall against the AfD or exploring minority governance models.