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France 24
France 24
Politics
Simon FEISTHAUER FOURNET

How far-right AfD breakthrough may ‘cause absolute chaos’ in Germany

Top candidate Ulrich Siegmund speaks at an election party of the "Alternative for Germany" (AfD) after the Saxony-Anhalt state elections in Magdeburg, eastern Germany, Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026.
Top candidate Ulrich Siegmund speaks at an election party of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) after the Saxony-Anhalt state elections in Magdeburg, eastern Germany on September 6, 2026. © Matthias Schrader, AP

Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) came out well ahead in Sunday’s regional elections in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, becoming the first far-right party to come close to gaining power at the regional level since World War II. The lead candidate of the party in the state, Ulrich Siegmund, said Monday that his party had already initiated talks towards building a governing majority.

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won Sunday's regional election in Saxony-Anhalt with about 44 percent of the vote, far ahead of the ruling Christian Democrats (CDU). It is the closest a far-right party has come to power at the state level in Germany since the Second World War.

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