AfD wins Saxony-Anhalt election but falls short of majority

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won Sunday's state election in Saxony-Anhalt with a record 43.8% of the vote, falling just three seats short of an absolute majority in the regional parliament, a result that has shaken the country's political landscape. The CDU, led by incumbent premier Sven Schulze, suffered a heavy defeat with 17.2%, half its 2021 share, while the SPD secured 9.3%. The AfD's victory marks the first time a party classified as "right-wing extremist" by the regional constitution protection office has won a state election, prompting CDU parliamentary leader Thorsten Frei to call it "a turning point for the country." The left-populist BSW party entered parliament with 5.3%, becoming a potential kingmaker, as it rejects the political "cordon sanitaire" against the AfD and proposes a cross-party expert government. The AfD's candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, could potentially become premier in a third-round vote requiring only a simple majority, while the CDU has ruled out any cooperation with the far-right party.