An expert on East German politics warns that Chancellor Merz’s government must acknowledge the far-right AfD’s victory in Saxony-Anhalt and the voter discontent behind it, or risk deepening its own decline.

Eeuronews2026-09-08 16:54

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) victory in Sunday’s Saxony-Anhalt state election prompted protests across Germany on Monday. Demonstrators urged a united front against the hardline anti-immigrant party; some called for its ban, while others attributed its success to mainstream parties’ failure.

FFrance 24 English2026-09-08 09:50

The Alternative for Germany, or AfD, has become a significant political force in the 13 years since it was founded, yet it has never joined a state or federal government. That is attributed to the so-called “firewall” against cooperation with the anti-immigrant, far-right party.

FFrance 24 English2026-09-08 09:26

After a landslide victory in Saxony-Anhalt’s regional election, AfD leader Alice Weidel is turning her attention to the national government. The party is ahead of Chancellor Merz’s CDU in opinion polls.

Eeuronews2026-09-08 07:27

Béla Anda, who served as chief spokesman for Gerhard Schröder’s federal government, says Chancellor Friedrich Merz has communicated “very poorly”. He believes it will be “very hard” for Merz to regain control after the AfD’s landslide win in regional elections.

Eeuronews2026-09-08 07:27

Following a major defeat to the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt, former German government spokesman Béla Anda told Europe Today that Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s biggest mistake was “poor communication” and that regaining control would be very difficult.

Eeuronews2026-09-08 07:05

Chancellor Friedrich Merz is under growing pressure a day after the AfD secured a historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt. Ukraine is facing an increasingly difficult economic task in maintaining funding for its war against Russia, while thousands attended Ratko Mladić’s pompous funeral in Serbia yesterday.

Eeuronews2026-09-08 06:59

Europe Today examines the pressure placed on Friedrich Merz by the AfD’s electoral victory, while Ukraine scrambles to secure funding for the war.

Eeuronews2026-09-08 06:24

The far-right Alternative for Germany has won praise from the United States after strong results in recent regional elections. Elon Musk congratulated the party’s performance in Saxony-Anhalt with “Gut gemacht!”, while state leader Ulrich Siegmund thanked him and hinted at future economic cooperation. Donald Trump also posted German election projections.

DDW News2026-09-08 02:15

The Alternative for Germany has won a pivotal election in Saxony-Anhalt, marking the biggest victory for a far-right German party since the Second World War. Friedrich Merz called the CDU’s result its most serious defeat in years or decades but said he would remain in charge, declaring that giving up was not an option.

GGlobal News2026-09-08 01:24

Several thousand people gathered at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate to protest after the far-right Alternative for Germany made a landslide gain in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt.

RReuters2026-09-08 00:56

Germany’s neighbors are reacting to the AfD’s shock victory in the Saxony-Anhalt regional election. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that only idiots or traitors in Poland could celebrate the result. DW correspondent Michal Gostkiewicz examines Poland’s concerns, while pollster Roland Abold analyzes the election outcome.

DDW News2026-09-08 00:26

Germany’s backing for Ukraine has become a major political battleground. Polls indicate that many AfD voters oppose aid to Kyiv. Lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund said close relations with Russia matter as much as ties with the US, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz defended continued support for Ukraine and said its importance to Germany’s security and Western values needed clearer explanation.

DDW News2026-09-07 23:20

Germany’s far-right AfD made major gains in Sunday’s regional election in Saxony-Anhalt, securing 43.8 percent in exit polls. It still needs backing from other parties to form a coalition, challenging the long-standing refusal by mainstream parties to work with the far right.

AAl Jazeera English2026-09-07 23:15

The far-right AfD has won a landslide victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election, sending shockwaves across Germany and beyond. Despite its strongest result ever, the party fell short of the absolute majority needed to secure Germany’s first far-right state government since World War II.

DDW News2026-09-07 19:56

The far-right Alternative for Germany has trounced the ruling conservatives in the impoverished former East German region of Saxony-Anhalt. Although it fell short of an outright win, the result has deeply shaken Germany and Europe. The programme examines the consequences of backing an anti-immigrant, pro-Russian party and whether the vote will fuel far-right momentum elsewhere, including Sweden.

FFrance 24 English2026-09-07 19:37

The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) made a stunning breakthrough in Sunday’s local elections in Saxony-Anhalt. Analysts and media called it a “socio-political earthquake” and a watershed moment, but the state is one of Germany’s smallest, prompting questions about how far its result can signal national political sentiment.

BBBC News2026-09-07 19:30

Chancellor Friedrich Merz says Germany is undergoing a tectonic shift in party politics after the far-right Alternative for Germany won in Saxony-Anhalt. He said the result shook his conservative CDU to its core and showed the need for a major reckoning. The anti-immigration party has proposed banning rainbow flags in schools and segregating refugee children in classes.

BBBC News2026-09-07 18:30

The AfD won 43.8% in Saxony-Anhalt’s state election, more than doubling its result from five years ago. The landmark victory brings a far-right party within reach of state power in Germany for the first time since the second world war, but it remains three seats short of a majority in the 83-seat legislature.

GGuardian News2026-09-07 17:47

The Alternative for Germany has won a historic victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. Preliminary results gave the far-right party 44% of the vote and 39 of the state parliament’s 83 seats, bringing it closer than any far-right party since World War II to holding power in a German state.

CCNN2026-09-07 17:45

Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that he would continue pursuing unpopular reforms for Europe’s largest economy after the far-right AfD scored a landslide in a regional election. The party has a strong chance of forming Germany’s first far-right state government since the Nazi era.

TThe Associated Press2026-09-07 17:32

The far-right Alternative for Germany leads Sunday’s election in Saxony-Anhalt with about 44 percent of the vote, boosted by economic worries and anger over immigration. It is also ahead in national polling. Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has classified the state branch as a confirmed right-wing extremist group, a designation the AfD rejects. Chancellor Friedrich Merz says there will be no cooperation with the party.

AAl Jazeera English2026-09-07 17:30

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Berlin on Monday that he saw a society “longing for disruption” and “fundamental change”, after the AfD secured a major victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election.

Eeuronews2026-09-07 17:01

The Alternative for Germany has won the election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, but is three seats short of an absolute majority. That could keep it from leading Germany’s first far-right state government since World War II. Stanford University’s Ulrich Bruckner weighs in.

TTRT World2026-09-07 15:55