In Saxony-Anhalt, AfD came first with a historic vote share, holding an absolute majority

In Germany, voting ended at 18.00 local time in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, where 1.7 million voters have the right to vote.

According to the State Election Directorate, 97 percent of the ballot boxes were opened in the election. According to tentative results announced by German public broadcaster ZDF, AfD received 44.4 percent of the votes.

The AfD thus increased its vote share by 23.6 points compared to the 2021 election, achieving the highest vote share ever achieved by any party in a state assembly election in Saxony-Anhalt.

The federal government's major partner, the Christian Democratic Union Party (CDU), remained in second place with 17.2 percent, losing 19.9 points compared to 2021.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) came in third with 9.1 percent, the Greens came in fourth with 8.9 percent, and the Left Party came in fifth with 8.6 percent.

Participating in the Saxony-Anhalt state elections for the first time, the Alliance for Social Justice and Economic Understanding (BSW) is expected to enter the parliament by passing the election threshold with 5.2 percent of the votes.

The Free Democratic Party (FDP) could not pass the 5 percent election threshold with 2.5 percent of the votes.

According to AA news, the election participation rate is estimated to be 76.9 percent. This rate was recorded as 60.3 percent in 2021.

AfD FAILED TO ACHIEVE THE ABSOLUTE MAJORITY

According to ZDF's seat distribution projection, AfD is expected to be represented with 39 deputies in the 83-seat state parliament.

It is expected that the CDU will have 15 seats, the SPD, the Greens and the Left Party will have 8 seats each, and the BSW will have 5 seats.

42 deputies are required for an absolute majority in the state parliament. Accordingly, AfD fell 3 seats short of the majority required to form a government alone.

Thomas Schulze, one of the main candidates of BSW, gave the signal of a possible alliance in his statement after the election, saying, "We said that we would meet with all parties. This includes the AfD."

In order to form a majority government without the AfD, the CDU, SPD, Greens, Left Party and BSW must all join the coalition.

CDU prime ministerial candidate and current State Prime Minister Sven Schulze announced that he will not cooperate with the AfD.

AfD's candidate for prime minister, Ulrich Siegmund, stated that he is not keen on his party forming a minority government, but that he is ready to meet if there is support from other parties or MPs.

Considering the possibility of not forming a government, Siegmund argued that in this case a new election could be held and said, "Then we will get 50 or 55 percent." he said.

AfD LEADS IN ALL AGE GROUPS

According to the research conducted by Infratest dimap for ARD on the election day, the AfD remained equal with the CDU at 31 percent among those aged 70 and over, while it ranked first in all other age groups.

AfD received 42 percent of the votes in the 18-24 age group and 44 percent in the 25-34 age group.

The party's vote rate increased to 53 percent in the 35-44 and 45-59 age groups, while it was 47 percent in the 60-69 age group.

AfD'S PRIME MINISTER CANDIDATE ULRİCH SIEGMUND

Ulrich Siegmund, AfD's candidate for Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, said: "We achieved exactly what we set out to achieve. We made history in this state." while party co-chair Alice Weidel said, "This is a historic result and a very clear task of forming a government." he said.

Born in 1990, Siegmund studied business psychology and business administration. Siegmund, an entrepreneur in the field of marketing, has been in the Saxony-Anhalt State Assembly since 2016 and serves as one of the chairmen of the state parliamentary group of the AfD.

In the official statement of the Saxony-Anhalt State Assembly, it was stated that a plan to send millions of people of immigrant origin from Germany was discussed at the meeting.

Siegmund attended the meeting held in Potsdam in November 2023, where opinions on sending immigrants from Germany were discussed. The Saxony-Anhalt State Council announced that Siegmund was removed from the Chairmanship of the Commission on Labour, Social Affairs, Health and Equality in February 2024, after he attended this meeting.

Addressing his supporters after the election results, Siegmund said, "We made history in this country." and argued that the result in Saxony-Anhalt was the beginning of a political change throughout Germany.

AfD Co-Chairman Tino Chrupalla also pointed to 2029 and said, "2029 will be the decisive election year at the latest. By then, we will have achieved the second transformation in this country and then we will govern Germany." he said.

ANTI-AfD PROTESTS

Following the election, demonstrations against the AfD were held in various cities in Germany.

According to the police statement, approximately 2,500 people in Frankfurt demanded that the possibility of initiating a closure process against the AfD be examined.

In Berlin, hundreds of demonstrators marched from the government district to the Saxony-Anhalt State Representation Office. An anti-AfD demonstration was also held in Mainz.

A demonstration with larger participation is planned to be held in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin on Monday at 18:00 local time.

The Saxony-Anhalt State Election Directorate continues to count votes. Provisional official results are expected to be announced overnight or on the morning of September 7.

The election calendar in Germany will continue with the elections to be held in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern states on September 20. In Berlin, members of the House of Representatives and district assemblies will be determined, and in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern the members of the state parliament will be determined.

TRUMP SHARED A GRAPH ABOUT THE RESULTS

US President Donald Trump shared a graphic showing the election results after the far-right Alternative for Germany Party (AfD) came first in the Saxony-Anhalt State Assembly election in Germany, according to exit polls.

Trump shared on his social media account.

Trump, who included a graphic showing AfD's election victory in his post, did not make an evaluation on the issue.

In his statement on the subject, US Vice President JD Vance criticized BfV's decision, stating that "it is very dangerous to use the intelligence agency to delegitimize the competing political party."

Additionally, in his speech at the 61st Munich Security Conference (MSC 2025), Vance responded to the discussions of politicians in Germany about distancing themselves from the AfD: "There is no room for firewalls." He made a direct reference to the statement.

REACTIONS FROM EUROPE

The fact that the Alternative for Germany Party (AfD) came first in Germany's Saxony-Anhalt State Assembly election led to different reactions among political leaders in Europe.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reacted to AfD's election victory in his post on his X social media account.

In his post, Tusk said, "Only fools or traitors can rejoice in the victory of the AfD in Germany in Poland. There are quite a few of them in (opposition parties in Poland) Konfederacja and PiS." he said.

Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right League Party, the junior partner of the ruling right-wing coalition in Italy, and Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, was one of the first to celebrate the AfD's election victory.

"I congratulate my friend Alice Weidel and the entire AfD on their victory in Saxony-Anhalt. A sensational success that highlights the strong demand for change, security and job opportunities," Salvini said in his post on X. he said.

Salvini stated that AfD's election victory was also a response to leftists who fuel fear and disaster scenarios and said, "Fear? Terror? Danger? No, this is called democracy. Another Europe is possible." he commented.

Former Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban, also shared a congratulatory post on He stated:

Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) in the Netherlands, also shared a post on X and congratulated the AfD on its election victory.

Marko Mihkelson, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament, also shared in his post on X, "AfD will be a tool of those who try to destroy the unity of Europe and weaken our common defense." he said.

france

Jean-Luc Melenchon, presidential candidate of the left-wing France Unyielding (LFI) Party in France, said in his statement on he said.

Melenchon stated that under these conditions, Germany's military project to establish the largest conventional army in Europe is unacceptable for France.

Fabien Roussel, presidential candidate of the Communist Party of France (PCF), said in his statement on his account on the same platform: "AfD is making progress again in Germany." made his assessment.

Roussel pointed out that the far-right continues to gain power all over Europe with its program of hatred, and argued that the far-right is gaining strength from the escalation of poverty and war.

Stating that this situation is an extremely "terrible result" for the European Union (EU) and its agreements, Roussel said, "It is time to change them." he said.

Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, presidential candidate of the right-wing "Stand Up France" Party, said in a statement on his social media account that the AfD's election results were "good news for peace" and constituted a "major blow against the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen."

Dupont-Aignan argued that the AfD rejected EU rulers dragging the continent towards war.

Gabriel Attal, former prime minister of France and presidential candidate of the centre-right Renaissance Party, said in his statement to the French BFMTV channel that the election results in Germany were "a real warning sign".

Attal wanted to draw the necessary lessons from this situation for the presidential elections to be held in France next year. *The photo of the news was provided by AP.