AfD wins Saxony-Anhalt but misses majority; leader calls for Merz's ouster before Christmas

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won Sunday's state election in Saxony-Anhalt with 43.8% of the vote, falling three seats short of an absolute majority and delivering a historic blow to the national political landscape. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which has governed the state since 2002, suffered a record defeat, dropping to 17.2%, half its 2021 share. The SPD and Die Linke each secured around 9%, while the Free Democratic Party (FDP) failed to re-enter parliament with 2.6%. AfD leader Alice Weidel urged Chancellor Friedrich Merz to call early federal elections and be replaced "before Christmas." The result complicates coalition-building, as other parties refuse to work with the AfD, which is classified as "right-wing extremist" by regional authorities. CDU leaders acknowledged the "hard blow" and called the outcome a turning point, while the Left party urged the CDU to decide "which side of history it stands on."