Nearly half of Germans oppose the formation of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the state of Saxony-Anhalt with the support of other parties, despite its decisive victory in the regional elections that took place in the state the day before Sunday. According to a poll conducted by the YouGov Institute to measure opinion indicators, 36 percent of participants said that the AfD should “under no circumstances” form a government with the support of other parties, while another 11 percent said that they “tend to reject” the idea.
On the other hand, 20 percent of Germans said that the Alternative for Germany party should "definitely" form a government with the support of other parties, while 18 percent showed a "tendency to support" this.
About four out of ten participants also said that the CDU's exclusion of cooperation with the AfD in general was wrong, with 24 percent saying it was "completely wrong" and 16 percent saying it was "somewhat wrong." On the other hand, 31 percent said that the Christian Democratic Party’s position was “completely correct,” while 15 percent said it was “somewhat correct.”
The survey included 1,862 people over 18 years old on September 7, 2026.
Several thousand people came out at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Monday evening (September 7, 2026) in a movement against the Alternative for Germany party, led by the parliamentary elections in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
The police estimated the number of crowds at about 5,000 demonstrators, noting that the demonstration passed without incident, while the number of participants was estimated at about 14,000 people, according to the organizers.
The demonstrators carried banners with slogans including “Fascism is not an alternative” and “Stop the AfD Nazis! End racism and social cuts,” while the crowds chanted: “All against fascism!”
Protesters held the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz responsible, considering that it had failed to contain the state of popular discontent.
After the initial estimates of the election results appeared on Sunday evening, the city of Frankfurt and the German capital, Berlin, witnessed protests in which thousands of people participated, who raised slogans demanding “banning the Alternative Party.”
The AfD's victory is seen as a "political earthquake" in the country.
The party topped the elections that took place yesterday, Sunday, by a large margin, but failed to achieve an absolute majority, which leaves the door open to the possibility of forming the first state government led by the Alternative for Germany party, which is classified in some states as decidedly far-right.
The "Alternative" inflicted a resounding electoral defeat on the Christian Democratic Union party led by Meretz, winning 43.8 percent of the votes in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, which has a population of about 2.1 million people and is located in the east of the country and faces economic difficulties.
Earlier today, Meretz expressed his "deep shock" after the heavy defeat suffered by his conservative party in the local elections, but he pledged to move forward with reforms.
Germany is witnessing two other local elections on September 20, in Berlin and the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, located in the east of the country.
Israel's ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, expressed his concern about the victory of the Alternative for Germany party in the Saxony-Anhalt state elections, stressing that "Germany needs a wall of isolation on all fronts against anti-Semitism."
In statements to the German "Funke" media group, on Monday, the Israeli ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, said: "The Saxony-Anhalt elections that took place over the weekend should raise concern for everyone concerned about the future of Jewish life in Germany. Only 80 years after the Holocaust, a party whose leaders described the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin as a 'monument to shame' achieved record gains."
The Israeli diplomat added that anti-Semitism is a dangerous path that should not be tolerated, and he believed that “Germany needs a wall of isolation on all fronts against anti-Semitism, so that the matter is not limited to expressions of condemnation only, but extends to become tangible actions.”
In 2017, the politician in the Alternative Party, Björn Höcke, sparked widespread controversy during a speech he gave in the city of Dresden, when he called for a “180-degree shift in the policy of dealing with historical memory.” He also said, referring to the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin: “We Germans, that is, our people, are the only people in the world who have erected a monument to shame in the heart of their capital.”
The head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany said yesterday, “I was personally astonished by the results of these elections,” in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
“The climate of closure is poisoning the economic situation,” said Steffen Kampeter, Executive Director of the German Employers' Confederation, after the Alternative for Germany party's landslide victory in the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt. Kampeter said that the democratic centrist movement received a “strong blow” in the elections, and added, “This result must be an incentive to restore confidence and prove that politics is capable of solving problems.” People no longer want empty phrases. But they also don't want to be lured with simple answers. Politics must convince with content and results.”
The Alternative for Germany party, led by its first candidate, Ulrich Zigmund, is seeking to form a government in Saxony-Anhalt after its strong performance in the state parliament elections. For the first time since the end of World War II, a party classified as confirmed far-right may come to power in one of the German states, if it can find supporters.
If it is not possible to form a government in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, the Alternative for Germany party's candidate for prime minister, Ulrich Zigmond, believes that holding new elections remains an option. “If necessary, there will be new elections, and then we will simply get 50 or 55 percent of the votes, because the future belongs to the AfD,” Zigmund told German TV Channel 2.
Zigmund said again on the "Identity Journal" program that he is determined to implement the political change he announced, according to what he promised. He added that he would extend his hand to any representatives, or even to any parliamentary bloc, that wishes to participate in this.
“If there is someone we can do this with, we will,” Zigmund said. “We have a clear mandate to form the government.” But at the same time, he stressed: “We will not bow down and we will not abandon our principles.”
Following the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament elections, the city of Frankfurt and the capital, Berlin, this evening, Sunday (September 6, 2026), witnessed protests against the “AfD” party, demanding the right-wing populist party be banned.
About 2,500 people demonstrated in the city of Frankfurt, according to police, demanding to study the possibility of starting measures to ban the Alternative Party, which topped the parliamentary elections in the state of Saxony-Anhalt today, according to preliminary estimates from a poll conducted by the German Broadcasting Corporation (ARD) upon exit from the polls.
“The approach of weakening extreme right-wing forces has failed.”
Philipp Jax, head of the Frankfurt branch of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), justified the demonstrators' demand to study the possibility of starting measures to ban the AfD, saying: "The approach of weakening far-right forces through political action alone has failed. In several German states, including Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD is already officially classified as a confirmed case of an extreme right-wing party."
Demonstration in Berlin under the slogan "Defend Democracy"
Hundreds of people also took to the streets in the German capital, Berlin, making similar demands. A protest procession marched through the government district in Berlin under the slogan “Defend Democracy - Ban the AfD Now,” heading to the headquarters of the state representation of Saxony-Anhalt. The police reported that the number of participants ranged in the hundreds.
A demonstration also took place at the Brandenburg Gate. A larger rally against the Alternative Party is scheduled to be held tomorrow evening, Monday, at the Brandenburg Gate. Police expect 5,000 people to participate.
The Central Council of Jews in Germany expressed its shock at the success of the Alternative for Germany party in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament elections. In statements to the German newspaper Die Welt, the head of the Central Council, Josef Schuster, commented on the preliminary results of these elections: “The results of the elections have not yet been decided, but it is already certain that there is a party officially classified as a confirmed case of an extreme right-wing party, and there is only a small difference between it and forming a single government in one of the German states.”
Schuster added: "I was personally astonished by the outcome of this election." He said that it had been clear over the past months what goals the Alternative Party was seeking to achieve, and he believed that “whoever voted for it today, whether despite these goals or because of them, bears responsibility for this result.”
Schuster also said that he fears the influence of the AfD on education policy, and went on to say that "the damage that the so-called Alternative for Germany (AfD) party will now cause if it takes a position of responsibility will be enormous." Schuster explained that education represents the most important basis for maintaining an open society and combating "anti-Semitism."
AfD leader Tino Kruppala said, following the party's strong performance in the Saxony-Anhalt elections, that the party's candidate for prime minister, Ulrich Zigmund, has a clear mandate to take office. “Sigmund was clearly elected, he has a mandate from voters, and he will become head of the state government,” Kruppala said Sunday evening on German television Channel 2.
He added that if the party did not obtain an absolute majority, it would also be prepared to hold talks with other parties. He stressed: "We will extend our hand to everyone who wants the interests of Saxony-Anhalt and Germany," indicating the possibility of the party assuming a minority government that enjoys parliamentary support or tolerance. Kruppala described the result as "astonishing" for his party and a "clear indication" of the federal government's policy performance.
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.
