Polls show AfD winning Saxony-Anhalt state election
Exit polls by German broadcasters ARD and ZDF indicate the "Alternative for Germany" party has won Sunday's state election in Saxony-Anhalt with around 44% of the vote. Final results may not be known until early Monday morning.
The eurosceptic, anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has taken a commanding lead in Sunday's state parliament election in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt, according to exit polls conducted by broadcasters ARD and ZDF, which put the party at approximately 44% of the vote.
No absolute majority
Despite the strong showing, this share would not be enough for AfD to form a state government on its own with an absolute majority in the state parliament. Final results are expected only after vote counting concludes, which could stretch into the early hours of Monday morning.
Results for other parties
According to the polls, the Christian Democrats (CDU) received around 18.5% of the vote. The Left party (Die Linke) took about 9%, while the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens each secured 8-9%. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), another party seen as favorable toward Russia, is hovering close to the 5% threshold required to enter parliament. Meanwhile, the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and several other parties may fail to win any seats at all.
Current context
Saxony-Anhalt is currently governed by a coalition of the CDU, SPD and FDP. AfD has so far failed to enter either the federal government or any state government, as Germany's other major parties refuse to cooperate with it, regarding it as too extreme.
