AfD's strongest state election since 1945 tests Germany's political firewall

Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won its strongest state election result since World War II, securing 44.5% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt, more than double the CDU’s 18.5%, according to exit polls. The AfD won 39 of 83 parliamentary seats, three short of an absolute majority, leaving it unable to govern alone. Mainstream parties maintain a “firewall” refusing coalitions with the AfD, creating a paradox of electoral strength without governing power. The result pressures Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU and other established parties, highlighting the limits of political isolation as the AfD’s core issues—immigration, “remigration,” and Russia-friendly positions—gain mainstream traction.