# Germany: ‘Hard to say’ if AfD win was a protest vote

https://mins.news/en/item/48081

- France 24, 2026-09-07 08:44 UTC
- Politics
- Original: https://www.france24.com/en/video/20260907-germany-hard-to-say-if-afd-win-the-result-of-protest-vote

> Exit polls showed the far-right Alternative for Germany finishing first in Sunday’s Saxony-Anhalt state election, bringing it within reach of state-level power for the first time since World War Two. France 24 correspondent Nick Holdsworth said it remains unclear whether voters were mainly rejecting Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative government or explicitly endorsing the AfD.

## Stories

- [Merz Government and AfD Political Rivalry](https://mins.news/en/topic/germany-merz-and-afd-politics) — Markdown: https://mins.news/en/topic/germany-merz-and-afd-politics.md

## Related coverage

- [German chancellor vows to stay in office despite AfD triumph in state election](https://mins.news/en/item/48716) — The Guardian, 2026-09-07
- [European politicians voice concern over AfD’s historic state election victory in Germany](https://mins.news/en/item/48260) — TRT World, 2026-09-07
- [Germany: ‘Hard to say’ if AfD win was a protest vote](https://mins.news/en/video/48096) — France 24 English, 2026-09-07
- [Germany’s far-right AfD wins key state election as Merz prepares response](https://mins.news/en/item/48030) — The Guardian, 2026-09-07