Preliminary results from the Sunday vote in Saxony-Anhalt region of Germany show the landslide win of the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) securing around 43.8% of the vote, earning 39 seats in the 83-member state parliament. Although not an outright majority, the result may be the beginning of the end of the monopoly on power of mainstream establishment forces in Germany.
Official results are expected on Monday night, but the power dynamics are already clear: a huge win for the AfD, and devastating news for Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Voters have clearly expressed their dissatisfaction with the CDU that has governed the region for 24 years: the Chancellor’s party securing only 17.2% of the votes. Merz is expected to discuss the results with his cabinet today and gather a crisis panel in the capital.
