AfD wins big in German state election, falls short of majority

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won a historic regional election victory in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, securing 43.8% of the vote but falling three seats short of an absolute majority needed to govern alone. The result was a devastating blow to Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union, which slumped to 17.2%, losing half its support after leading the state for 24 years. AfD's 35-year-old candidate Ulrich Siegmund declared "we have written history," while mainstream parties reaffirmed their refusal to cooperate with the party. AfD's success reflects widespread discontent with the national government over economic stagnation and migration, with turnout surging to 77.8%. The party's regional branch is classified as a right-wing extremist group by domestic intelligence, and its platform includes a "deportation offensive" and lifting sanctions against Russia.