AfD’s Saxony-Anhalt landslide shakes Merz’s coalition

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the far-right AfD's landslide victory in Saxony-Anhalt an "existential shock," warning it threatens Germany's postwar constitutional order. The result puts the country on course for its first far-right leader since 1945. The AfD won 43.8 percent of the vote, up 23 points from 2021, while Merz's CDU slumped to 17.8 percent. AfD leader Ulrich Siegmund vowed to form a government, and party co-leader Alice Weidel predicted she would become Germany's next chancellor. The result triggered alarm across German society, with economists warning of reduced investment and Holocaust survivor Charlotte Knobloch saying she was scared. Merz pledged to continue his policies, insisting Germany's institutions remain "well-fortified."