AfD claims CDU rebels offered support to form Saxony-Anhalt government

Germany's far-right AfD claimed rebel lawmakers from Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU offered support to help it form a government after winning the Saxony-Anhalt state election, though the claim's validity remains unverified. The AfD won 39 of 83 seats with 43.8% of the vote, more than double the CDU's 17.2%, leaving it three seats short of a majority. Senior AfD leader Maximilian Krah said CDU politicians, infuriated by the "catastrophic" result, were considering breaching the firewall policy against cooperation. The populist BSW party has suggested it could support the AfD, potentially enabling a government despite the firewall. Both parties share pro-Russia and anti-EU stances, while observers note the AfD has used the firewall to play a victim card.