AfD's Saxony-Anhalt win tests Germany's far-right firewall

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won a decisive victory in Sunday's Saxony-Anhalt state election, securing 43.8% of the vote and 39 of 83 seats, though it fell short of an absolute majority, testing the country's long-standing "firewall" against far-right cooperation. The AfD's result more than doubled its previous showing, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats lost roughly half their support. Mainstream parties have refused to work with the AfD, which is classified as extremist in the state, but the far-left BSW party has signaled willingness to negotiate with it, calling the firewall "undemocratic." The AfD's candidate for governor, Ulrich Siegmund, aims to become the first far-right state leader by courting other parties and individual lawmakers. A governing coalition excluding the AfD would require an unusual five-party alliance, which analysts say would be complicated and unstable.