Arif Jabo Agencies | Adel Al Shoroaat | Abdo Jamil Al-Mekhlafi Agencies | Imad Ghanem
Published on September 3, 2026. Published on September 3, 2026
The preliminary results of the elections in the state of Saxony-Anhalt revealed that the Alternative for Germany party topped the parliamentary elections in the state, followed by a large margin from the Christian Democratic Party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
https://p.dw.com/p/5KjXp
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Skip to the next part: Everything you need to know
Everything you need to know
“The Saxony-Anhalt results are a turning point for all of Germany.”
A Christian representative calls on Schulze to resign from the presidency of the Christian Democratic Party in the state
The left-wing candidate expresses her disappointment with the strong result of the Alternative Party
The Social Democratic Party calls on the Meretz Party to cooperate with the Left Party
AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund: “We made history”
Social Democratic Party: Saxony-Anhalt election results are “truly dramatic”
Alice Weidel: The election result represents a "clear mandate to form the government" in Saxony-Anhalt
“A very difficult result” for Chancellor Meretz’s party
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Skip to the next part "The Saxony-Anhalt results are a turning point for all of Germany"
9/66/2026 September 2026
“The Saxony-Anhalt results are a turning point for all of Germany.”
The head of the Christian Union parliamentary bloc in the German parliament, Torsten Frei, described the results of the Saxony-Anhalt elections as a "turning point" for all of Germany, after a party classified as far-right by the state's Constitution Protection Authority became the largest force for the first time. He called on his party to analyze the reasons for the decline in its popularity, while acknowledging that many voters feel that they are not represented in many areas, but he defended the path of government reform as a “necessity” to ensure the country’s sustainability, refusing to open a discussion about the future of Chancellor and party head Friedrich Merz.
For his part, co-chair of the Social Democratic Party, Lars Klingbeil, considered the federal government's policies to be one of the reasons for the election result, stressing that the numbers represent a "message to Berlin" and that the dissatisfaction of many citizens with the reform path requires a reconsideration of the government's policies.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Lo7Q
Skip to the next part: A Christian representative calls on Schulze to resign from the presidency of the Christian Democrats in the state
9/66/2026 September 2026
A Christian representative calls on Schulze to resign from the presidency of the Christian Democratic Party in the state
After her party's clear defeat in the Saxony-Anhalt elections, the Christian Democratic Party's deputy in the state parliament, Eva Voessner, called on the state party's head, Sven Schulze, to resign. The former Minister of Education in the state told the German magazine "Stern": "If this country means something to him, then Sven Schulze must bear responsibility and resign from the leadership of the party. It cannot be otherwise."
At the same time, Voessner warned against interpreting the election results as a mandate to form a government. “If any form of cooperation with the Left Party occurs, entire local party branches will withdraw en masse,” she said.
Schulze, the current head of the state government, led the Christian Democratic Party as its most prominent candidate in the state parliament elections.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Lo0n
Skip to the next part The left-wing candidate expresses her disappointment with the strong result of the Alternative Party
9/66/2026 September 2026
The left-wing candidate expresses her disappointment with the strong result of the Alternative Party
The Left Party's candidate for the presidency of the state government of Saxony-Anhalt, Eva von Ungern, expressed her disappointment with the strong performance of the Alternative for Germany party in the state elections. She said on Sunday evening (September 6, 2026) on German TV Channel 2 that she was “extremely disappointed, especially about that blue ribbon,” referring to the “Alternative” result. She added that the result confirms the fears of many who feared such an electoral scenario.
At the same time, von Ungern considered the result a clear rejection of the policies followed so far, saying: “The state government was excluded today by the voters.” She added that the federal government also played a role in the elections, as political issues at the federal level mainly dominated the election campaign.
https://p.dw.com/p/5LntQ
Skip to the next part The Social Democratic Party calls for cooperation with the Left Party
9/66/2026 September 2026
The Social Democratic Party calls for cooperation with the Left Party
Following the elections in Saxony-Anhalt, the Social Democratic Party also called on the CDU to cooperate with the Left Party, an option that had been unlikely until now. The party's Secretary-General, Tim Klusendorf, said that the election results, although the final result is still open, carry a clear message.
He added that the democratic parties ran the elections jointly in order to achieve a majority in the state parliament. He continued: "If there is such a majority, it must also be formed jointly with all the forces represented in this parliament."
https://p.dw.com/p/5LnhM
Skip to the next part Christian Democratic candidate Sven Schulze concedes defeat
9/66/2026 September 2026
Christian Democratic candidate Sven Schulze admits defeat
CDU candidate Sven Schulze acknowledged his party's defeat in the Saxony-Anhalt election, saying: "It is a defeat for us." Schulze congratulated the Alternative for Germany party, which estimates showed it leading with a clear margin, considering that the result was the result of a democratic process, in light of the high turnout rate.
https://p.dw.com/p/5LnRM
Skip to the next part AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund: “We made history”
9/66/2026 September 2026
AfD candidate Ulrich Zigmund, head of the far-right Alternative for Germany party in Saxony-Anhalt and its most prominent candidate in its elections, described what he described as a clear victory for the party following the release of exit polls.
“We have made history, and we must say that clearly,” Zigmund told German television Channel 1.
He added that the result also represents a "signal" to the German federal government led by the Chancellor of the Christian Democratic Union, Friedrich Merz.
Regarding the possibility of forming a coalition with one of the other parties, most of which ruled out cooperation with the Alternative Party before the elections, Zigmond said that his party is open to cooperation according to its own conditions. He added: "We will not abandon our basic positions in order to gain power."
https://p.dw.com/p/5LnIX
Skip to the next part SPD: Saxony-Anhalt election results 'really dramatic'
9/66/2026 September 2026
Social Democratic Party: Saxony-Anhalt election results are “truly dramatic”
Social Democratic Party Secretary General Tim Klusendorf expressed his shock at the AfD's strong performance in the Saxony-Anhalt state elections, describing the result as "truly dramatic."
On the other hand, he expressed his satisfaction that the Socialist Party was able to maintain its results compared to the previous elections, although he acknowledged that this was “not a great success.” According to preliminary estimates, the party is expected to obtain 8 to 9 percent of the votes, while Klusendorf confirmed that the Socialists will work to form a democratic majority in the face of the alternative. He also expected that the negotiations to form the government would be very difficult in light of the "complex political structure."
https://p.dw.com/p/5Ln9I
Skip to the next part Alice Weidel: The election result represents a “clear mandate to form the government” in Saxony-Anhalt
9/66/2026 September 2026
Alice Weidel: The election result represents a "clear mandate to form the government" in Saxony-Anhalt
Co-chair of the Alternative for Germany party, Alice Weidel, said that the election result in the state of Saxony-Anhalt represents a “clear mandate to form a government,” and described it as a “historic result.”
Weidel added that the party, as the strongest force, has the right to seek to form a government, noting that the party's candidate to head the state government, Ulrich Zigmond, had previously announced the "Alternative"'s readiness to hold talks with other parties.
The AfD leader said: “Our hand is always extended” to cooperate for “a good Germany, and a good Saxony-Anhalt.” She indicated that the form of this cooperation, whether through a government coalition or parliamentary support from abroad, will become clear later.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Lmzk
Skip to the next part: “A very difficult result” for Chancellor Meretz’s party
9/66/2026 September 2026
“A very difficult result” for Chancellor Meretz’s party
Chancellery Minister Nina Farkin described the result of the Saxony-Anhalt state elections as a “turning point” for German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s party, the Christian Democratic Union, and considered it a “very difficult result,” adding that the situation has become difficult for the federal government, noting that one of the challenges is that the reforms launched by the government need time before their effects appear.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Lmus
Skip to the next part Post-vote polls give the "Alternative" 44.5 percent...more than double the support of the Christian Union
9/66/2026 September 2026
With the closure of polling stations in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, exit polls showed that the Alternative for Germany party topped the results with 44.5 percent of the votes, compared to 18.5 percent for the Christian Democratic Union.
https://p.dw.com/p/5LmRN
Skip to the next part as voting continues... A significant increase in participation in the Saxony-Anhalt elections
9/66/2026 September 2026
The head of the Election Commission in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, Christa Dieckmann, announced today, Sunday (September 6, 2026) in the city of Magdeburg, that there has been a significant increase in the participation rate in the state parliament elections this year compared to the elections five years ago.
Dieckmann explained that the participation rate had reached 65.3 percent by four o’clock in the afternoon, compared to 41 percent at the same time in the Saxony-Anhalt parliamentary elections in 2021. The participation rate was 54.4 percent at two o’clock in the afternoon, compared to 27.1 percent at this time in the 2021 elections, and 35.4 percent in the 2016 elections.
The Election Commission explained that this data is based on a representative survey sample from direct polling centers.
The approximately 2,130 polling centers throughout the state located in eastern Germany continue to receive voters until six in the evening.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Lm0p
Skip to the next part Meretz's strategy towards the "alternative" faces its first decisive test in Saxony-Anhalt
9/66/2026 September 2026
All eyes are on Magdeburg, the capital of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, where German Chancellor Friedrich Merz awaits from the headquarters of the Christian Democratic Party in Berlin, awaiting the release of the first estimates at six in the evening.
The elections constitute an early test of a pledge made by Meretz when he was opposition leader to halve support for the Alternative for Germany party, based in part on a hard-line stance on the immigration file.
But estimates indicate that this strategy has not yet achieved the results promised by Merz, with the AfD heading to the top of the elections to become the strongest party in Saxony-Anhalt.
The election campaign took place amid widespread dissatisfaction with the performance of the federal government, which was reflected in keeping Meretz largely out of the limelight and reducing his appearance in the campaign.
Perhaps due to the political sensitivity of the results, Chancellor Merz will not personally comment on the election results on Sunday or Monday, according to sources in the party and government, according to DW's correspondent in Magdeburg.
https://p.dw.com/p/5LkWE
Skip to the next part Economists warn of the repercussions of a possible victory for the Alternative Party
9/66/2026 September 2026
Economists have warned that a victory for the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt could harm its economic image and make it less attractive for investments and skilled labor from abroad.
Economist Monica Schnitzer said in a statement to the German newspaper Köln-Stadt-Anzeiger that the state may face greater difficulty in attracting foreign investments and talent, considering that the party's electoral program may make it less attractive to companies and skilled workers if it takes office.
In turn, Michael Hutter, director of the German Economic Institute, warned that those who seek to attract skilled workers from abroad cannot at the same time support a party that “openly calls for their deportation.”
Hutter told the Rheinische Post newspaper that the lack of immigration could, due to demographic shifts, cause the state's working-age population to shrink by about a quarter by 2045, so that for every working-age person there will be more than one person out of the labor market.
Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch also warned that the AfD's energy policies, calling for a return to coal and nuclear power, would also harm German industry, saying: "Nostalgic politics continues to push us backwards."
https://p.dw.com/p/5LkHS
Skip to the next part Significant increase in turnout in the Saxony-Anhalt elections compared to the 2021 elections
9/66/2026 September 2026
The participation rate in the German state parliament elections of Saxony-Anhalt reached more than 50 percent early this afternoon, Sunday (September 6, 2025). The head of the state election commission, Christa Dieckmann, in Magdeburg announced that the turnout rate reached 54.4 percent at 2 p.m., compared to 27.1 percent at this time in the 2021 elections, and 35.4 percent in the 2016 elections.
The committee explained that this data is based on a representative survey sample from direct polling centers. The approximately 2,130 polling centers throughout the state located in eastern Germany continue to receive voters until six in the evening. Diekmann had previously reported that the participation rate in the current version of these elections had reached 34.7 percent by 12 noon. At the same time during the 2021 elections, the participation rate reached about 22.4 percent, reaching at the end of it 60.3 percent, including voting by mail.
The head of the Election Commission expects the preliminary final results to be issued early Monday morning.
The 2,130 polling centers in the state receive voters until six in the evening, which is also the same time as the deadline for submitting mail-in voting cards. About 1.7 million citizens who have reached the age of eighteen are entitled to participate in this ballot. The head of the committee explained that the electoral process was running smoothly during the morning without any obstacles, stressing that there were no “disproportionate waiting times” before the committees.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Lhzm
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