German far-right wins big in Saxony-Anhalt but may lack governing majority

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was projected to win a strong victory in a regional election in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, but it remained unclear whether it could form the country's first far-right state government since World War II. Projections put AfD at over 44% of the vote, more than double its 2019 result, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union was set to lose about half its support, falling to 18%. AfD's candidate for governor, Ulrich Siegmund, said voters had sent a signal that "things cannot carry on like this." AfD sought an absolute majority to govern alone, bypassing the mainstream "firewall" against cooperation. The result is a blow to Merz, whose party has led the state for 24 years. AfD's regional branch is classified as a proven right-wing extremist group by domestic intelligence.