German far-right wins Saxony-Anhalt election but faces governing hurdle

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) was projected to win a strong victory in a regional election in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, though it remained unclear if it could form the country's first far-right state government since World War II. Projections put AfD at over 44 percent of the vote, more than double its 2019 result, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union was set for a disastrous 18 percent. AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund said voters sent a signal that "things cannot carry on like this," and the party sought an absolute majority to overcome the mainstream "firewall" against cooperation. The result is a major 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, and its priorities include a "deportation offensive" and lifting sanctions against Russia. Germany's states have extensive powers, but Saxony-Anhalt holds only four of 69 votes in the upper house.