By securing 43.8 per cent of the vote in the September 6 election in Saxony-Anhalt – more than double its 2021 result – the AfD sent shock waves and piled further pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.
The AfD, which calls for expelling immigrants, cutting aid to Ukraine and repairing diplomatic ties with Moscow, looked unlikely to form what could be Germany’s first far-right state government since World War II, because it fell short of a majority and appears unable to form a coalition with other parties.
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said in Berlin that the party was aiming for 40 per cent in the 2029 general election, up from its current first-place polling of 28 per cent.
Analysts say the results in Saxony-Anhalt will have an indirect effect on Germany’s China policy.