AfD seeks coalition partners after winning Saxony-Anhalt state election

Germany’s far-right AfD won nearly 44 percent of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt’s state election, finishing first but short of a majority with 39 of 83 seats, and is now appealing to other parties to support its bid to govern. The anti-immigrant, pro-Russia party hopes to win over conservative lawmakers to form a “centre-right conservative majority,” but Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU has reiterated its refusal to cooperate with the AfD, citing the “firewall” policy. The result halved CDU support to 18 percent. The populist left-wing BSW, which shares AfD’s stance on immigration and Ukraine, has signaled it could back the party on an issue-by-issue basis, while the hard-left Linke may support a CDU-led coalition. The outcome has alarmed France and Poland and raised questions about Germany’s political norms.