AfD's Saxony-Anhalt Win Reshapes German Politics

The AfD won 44% in Saxony-Anhalt—the biggest postwar far-right victory—nearly securing a state government and forcing a reckoning with the firewall strategy, as mainstream parties weigh coalition options or a minority government ahead of Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern votes. The result deals a blow to CDU leader Friedrich Merz and fuels the AfD’s push for a stronger federal impact, with leaders signaling ambition toward around 40% in a future election while economic concerns dominated voter sentiment.