AfD wins 44.5% in Saxony-Anhalt state election as CDU falls to 18.5%
Alternative for Germany won between 44% and 44.5% of the vote in the Saxony-Anhalt election on 6 September 2026, creating uncertainty over whether the party can secure a 42-seat majority in the 83-seat state parliament.
Election results and parliamentary projections
The regional election in Saxony-Anhalt on 6 September 2026 concluded with Alternative for Germany (AfD) winning between 44% and 44.5% of the vote. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) secured 18.5%, down from 37% in the 2021 state election. Die Linke took 9.5%, the Greens took 9%, and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) won between 8% and 9%. Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) registered between 4.8% and 5% in initial projections. Voter turnout reached between 78% and 80%, matching the highest participation levels recorded in the state. Following the release of initial exit polls, AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund addressed supporters.
We got exactly what we wanted to get. I do not know yet if I will be minister-president, but we have already written history.
- AfD
- 44.5 %
- CDU
- 18.5 %
- Die Linke
- 9.5 %
- Greens
- 9 %
- SPD
- 8 %
- BSW
- 4.8 %
Coalition hurdles and the firewall
The 83-seat state parliament in Magdeburg requires 42 seats for an absolute majority. Initial projections by public broadcasters ARD and ZDF assign AfD between 39 and 41 seats, leaving the party just short of an autonomous majority. If BSW falls below the 5% electoral threshold, seat recalculations could award AfD the remaining seats needed to govern alone. Alternatively, if AfD remains under 42 seats, all mainstream parties face the traditional firewall policy that bars formal alliances with the party. CDU general secretary Franziska Hoppermann confirmed that her party would not alter its stance.
We do not collaborate with extremists and, above all, with those of the far right.
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel stated that the election provides the party with a clear mandate to form a regional government. If no governing coalition or minority administration gains parliamentary approval, the Landtag faces potential dissolution and repeat elections.
Rise and background of Ulrich Siegmund
Born on 25 October 1990 in Saxony-Anhalt, Siegmund worked as a waiter and construction worker before completing commercial training and studying psychology and business administration at a distance university in Hamburg. He later founded a commercial fragrance business before turning to politics. Siegmund initially joined the CDU before switching to AfD in 2014, winning election to the state parliament in 2016 at age 25. He became co-leader of the AfD parliamentary group in 2022 and secured nomination as lead candidate on 20 May 2025 with more than 98% internal delegate support.
- Born in Saxony-Anhalt
- Switches from CDU to join AfD
- Elected to the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament at age 25
- Becomes co-leader of the AfD parliamentary group in Magdeburg
- Nominated lead candidate for state election with over 98% support
- Leads AfD to 44.5% in the Saxony-Anhalt state election
Campaign platform and federal implications
Siegmund built a following of 660,000 users on TikTok, using social media video campaigns that began with opposition to pandemic lockdown measures. According to Bild, AfD secured 42% of the vote among voters aged 18 to 24. The party platform emphasizes mass deportations and remigration, budget reductions for public media, and the introduction of the national anthem and separate classes for disabled students in schools. Welt reported that Siegmund selected four former members of a banned neo-Nazi youth group as advisers and program co-authors. The outcome adds pressure to the federal government led by Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of upcoming state elections scheduled for 20 September 2026 in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
