The political pattern that has persisted in Germany for nearly 80 years after the war is facing a major challenge.
According to reports from the New York Times and Financial Times, the election results for the state parliament in Saxony-Anhalt, eastern Germany, have been announced. The Alternative For Germany (AfD) won 39 out of the 83 seats in the state parliament, with a vote share of nearly 44%. This is the biggest electoral victory for the AfD since its establishment in 2013, and it puts the party within reach of controlling the state government.
On September 7th, local time, the Alternative for Germany party held a press conference in Berlin to celebrate the victory in the elections for the state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt. The party’s co-chairwoman, Alice Weidel, announced that these elections were "just the beginning," and her goal is to increase the party's support rate to 40% in the German federal elections of 2029.
On September 7, 2026, local time, in Berlin, Germany, the joint leaders of the Alternative for Germany party, Alice Weidel (right), Tino Chrupa (left), and Uwe Simmler, the top candidate in Saxony-Anhalt state, attended a press conference. Visual China
Weider called this victory a "dream result," and announced that the party's next goal is clear: to gain at least 40% of the votes in the federal parliamentary elections in 2029.
My goal is to further expand our leadership advantage in a short period of time, and achieve at least 40% in the next federal election. Wei Del said. She also predicted that the Kumin League and the Jiacha League “will be unable to win the federal election ever again”.
She believes that one of the important reasons for this breakthrough is the successful mobilization of a large number of voters who had never participated in voting before. These new voters have become the main supporters of the Alternative for Germany party.
Along with Wiedehr attending the press conference was Ulrich Siegmund, chairman of the party in Saxony-Anhalt state. This 35-year-old former perfume salesperson has become one of the most representative local politicians for the Alternative for Germany party in the east.
Saxony-Anhalt is located in the former East German region of Germany. It has a population of about 2.1 million and is one of the states with relatively backward economies in Germany. For a long time, the region has experienced high unemployment rates and a serious aging population. It is also a traditional stronghold for the Alternative for Germany party.
German Chancellor Merz admitted on that day that the entire CDU was “deeply shocked” by this situation.
Not just Saxony-Anhalt, but the whole of Germany,” he said.
German Federal Interior Minister Dobrindt described this election as a “political earthquake,” stating that in the state, the dominant force is no longer the political middle ground, but rather the “anti-system forces.” That evening, the local executive committee of the Christian Democratic Party in Saxony-Anhalt announced a collective resignation, and the current governor Schultz also stated that he would no longer run for the party chairmanship.
Though they gained an overwhelming advantage in winning the election, Germany's alternative party has yet to truly control state government.
According to the seating distribution, the party is 3 seats short of achieving an absolute majority of 42 seats. Therefore, it must secure the support of other parties or obtain enough abstentions in the state legislature.
Determining the situation is the only 5-seat Sarah Wagenknecht coalition (BSW).
As a young party that split from the far-left 'Left Party', BSW is somewhat left-leaning in social policy, but its stance on immigration control and foreign policy towards Russia is similar to that of the Alternative for Germany. Although BSW previously refused to directly support Sigmund as the state governor, its party leader Thorsten Schulze stated clearly: 'We are not interested in a ‘firewall’. We will engage in dialogue with all parties.'
During the campaign, BSW said that he might choose to abstain rather than vote against candidates in the governor elections. Under German state parliament rules, such an abstention could help candidates from the Alternative for Germany Party win the governor positions with a relatively large majority. Additionally, Sigmund openly stated his hope to gain support from individual members of the Christian Democratic Party, trying to form a stable governing majority.
Currently, the Alternative for Germany is also in a leading position in national polls across Germany. On September 20, local elections will be held in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Alternative for Germany has achieved a support rate that has pushed the Christian Democratic Party below 10%.
Thorsten Benner, director of the Berlin Institute for Global Public Policy, admitted that the elections in Saxony-Anhalt marked a “complete failure of the firewall strategy.” Traditional parties excluded the German Alternative Choice Party, thereby reinforcing its image as the only voice against the system.
What Weidel said as “this is just the beginning” means that this will no longer be just a slogan for winning elections, but rather a real challenge for German politics over the next three years.
