BERLIN, Sept 6 (Reuters) – The far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) surged to first place in the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, but it was unclear whether it would be able to form a government on its own, according to exit polls conducted after voting ended.
AfD received 44.5% of the votes, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservatives finished with 18.5%. The center-left Social Democrats and the Greens surpassed the minimum threshold to enter Parliament, according to an exit poll released by ARD.
One of the party’s co-leaders, Alice Weidel, celebrated the “historic” result that gave the AfD a mandate to govern, but it was not immediately clear whether the party would be able to form a government.
If the AfD cannot govern alone, this could trigger a lengthy coalition-building process by the major parties, which are determined to keep a party investigated for far-right extremism by Germany’s domestic intelligence service out of power.
The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), a populist left-wing party and potential coalition partner for the AfD, could also surpass the minimum threshold.
While far-right parties have gained ground in other parts of Europe, Germany’s Nazi past has contributed to reluctance among traditional parties to cooperate with the AfD, which advocates a hard line on immigration and closer ties with Russia.
The AfD, led in Saxony-Anhalt by Ulrich Siegmund, 35, regards accusations of extremism as alarmism and an insult to its millions of supporters.
The result on Sunday also represents another blow to Merz’s authority, whose popularity has fallen as his coalition government struggles to restart growth in Europe’s largest economy.
In a fragmented political landscape, the AfD is now the most popular party in Germany at the national level, though other parties have ruled out forming coalitions with the AfD, in a policy known as a “firewall,” essentially a protective barrier.
(Reporting by Miranda Murray; text by Matthias Williams)
