The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has won an historic victory in state elections in the east of the country, delivering a fresh blow to Friedrich Merz’s ailing government and paving the way for the party to trial its radical policies.
The anti-immigration, pro-Russia AfD won nearly 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt, official results showed, falling short of an absolute majority with 39 of the 83 seats, while support for Merz’s CDU slumped to just 17.2%.