AfD wins Saxony-Anhalt state election with 44 percent, coalition talks begin

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has scored a historic victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, capturing approximately 44 percent of the vote — the party's best-ever result in a state election. The result leaves mainstream parties facing a complex and potentially deadlocked coalition-building process.

All of Germany's major parties — the SPD, CDU, Greens, and FDP — have maintained a "firewall" policy of refusing to enter coalition with the AfD, which is under domestic intelligence surveillance as a suspected extremist organization. This means the remaining parties would need to form a broad and unwieldy multi-party coalition to govern the state.

The result adds to pressure across Germany, where the AfD has surged in eastern states. Political analysts say the result reflects deep voter frustration with migration policy, economic conditions, and mainstream politics.