Germany's AfD Makes Gains In East, But Falls Short of Majority

Germany's far-right AfD has just taken a historic step forward. But can it actually turn that victory into power? In Saxony-Anhalt, the AfD won 43.8% of the vote, falling just three seats short of an outright majority in the 83-seat state parliament. Now comes the difficult part: finding enough support to govern. AfD deputy parliamentary leader Beatrix von Storch urged rival parties to negotiate, arguing: 'You cannot say I do not accept the vote of the people.' Party leader Ulrich Siegmund likewise said the AfD had received a 'clear mandate to govern'. But there's a major obstacle. Nearly every other German party refuses to cooperate with the AfD. Domestic intelligence classifies the AfD as 'right-wing extremist' in Saxony-Anhalt. Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the result 'seismic' and said Germany could not return to 'business as usual'. His CDU's vote share nearly halved to 17.2%. So what happens next? Talks could involve individual lawmakers or even informal support from the BSW, which is also hardline on migration. The AfD's Ulrich Siegmund (C) and the party's joint national leaders were delighted by the result. The AfD already leads national opinion polls and has strong support in eastern Germany. Yet governing a German state would be a historic breakthrough for the far right since World War Two. The real test now isn't winning votes. It's finding someone willing to help turn them into power.