Germany: Far-Right AfD falls just three seats short of solo majority in strongest-ever regional performance
Germany’s far-right AfD wins a historic 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt but falls three seats short of a governing majority
The far-right Alternative for Germany party surged to a historic victory in Sunday’s state election in Saxony-Anhalt, securing its strongest-ever regional performance but falling just short of the absolute majority required to form the country’s first far-right state government since World War II.
Final results show the party, known as the AfD, winning 39 seats in the 83-member regional parliament. The tally leaves the nationalist movement three seats shy of the 42 needed to govern alone in the eastern state.
Despite the shortfall, the result represents a massive electoral shift, with the party capturing nearly 44% of the popular vote and doubling its previous standing in the state.
The Christian Democratic Union, which previously led the state coalition, suffered severe losses, slumping to roughly 17% of the vote. Because all established mainstream parties have repeatedly pledged to maintain a strict "firewall" against coalitions with the far right, the election outcome plunges Saxony-Anhalt into profound political fragmentation and uncertainty.
The triumph of the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt, where its local chapter is officially designated as a confirmed right-wing extremist organization by Germany's domestic intelligence agency, has sent shockwaves through Germany’s Jewish communities and drawn close scrutiny from Israel.
For Jewish leaders in Germany and observers in Jerusalem, the AfD's rise raises acute safety and historical concerns.
'The policy of AFD when it comes to Israel is the same as the German radical left- catastrophic,' expert on German-Israel relations Melody Sucharewicz told i24NEWS.
The Central Council of Jews in Germany has consistently warned that the party harbors xenophobia, historical revisionism, and antisemitic undercurrents that threaten Jewish life.
Prominent leaders within the party have routinely sought to downplay Nazi-era atrocities, downplayed Germany's Holocaust remembrance culture, and pushed nationalist platforms that alienate minority populations.
Officials in Jerusalem have historically maintained a policy of official non-engagement with far-right European parties with roots or elements tied to revisionist stances on the Holocaust.
The expansion of the AfD’s political footprint in state capitals tests the stability of Germany’s post-war democratic consensus, which has long served as a bedrock of strong German-Israeli bilateral relations and a guarantor of protection for local Jewish institutions.
As political leaders in Magdeburg begin arduous negotiations to explore alternative governing alliances, the election shows a deepening political divide between eastern and western Germany.
While the AfD’s victory demonstrates its formidable grass-roots strength, the remaining political parties now face the challenge of cobbling together a broad coalition to keep the far right out of power.