Germany’s far-right party AfD surges to historic victory in state election

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has achieved a significant victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election. According to initial projections, the party secured over 44% of the vote, more than doubling its support from five years ago. This result is a major blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which saw its support drop to 18%. Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD candidate, described the victory as "history-making" and a signal to Berlin. The AfD, which holds strong support in eastern Germany, is classified by domestic intelligence agencies as a right-wing extremist group due to its anti-migration stance and rhetoric. Mainstream parties have maintained a "firewall" against the AfD, refusing to form coalitions with them. It remains unclear whether the AfD will secure an absolute majority to form a state government as vote counting continues.