AfD wins record vote in Germany's Saxony-Anhalt election

Germany's far-right AfD party won a record victory in the Saxony-Anhalt state election on Sunday, securing 44% of the vote, according to exit polls. The result marks a major setback for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU, which fell to second place with 17.8%. The AfD more than doubled its 2021 result of 20.8%, while the CDU dropped 19.3 percentage points. The state has been governed by the CDU since 2002, with incumbent governor Sven Schulze seeking re-election. AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund called the result historic, though the party fell short of its 45% target for an absolute majority. Turnout reached a record 76.5%. The AfD may still form a majority if smaller parties fail to clear the 5% threshold, but other parties have ruled out coalition with it, potentially forcing a broad alliance or minority government.