Merz rules out AfD coalition after far-right wins Saxony-Anhalt state vote

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has ruled out cooperating with the far-right AfD after the party won a landslide victory in Saxony-Anhalt's state election, though he admitted the result has shaken his party to its core. The AfD secured nearly 44 percent of the vote, winning 39 of 83 seats but falling short of an absolute majority. The anti-immigrant, pro-Russia party is now appealing to individual conservative lawmakers to support its bid to form the first far-right state government in postwar Germany, testing the mainstream "firewall" policy. Merz vowed not to deviate from his support for Ukraine and NATO defence spending, while the populist left-wing BSW party has signalled readiness to work with the AfD. The result has alarmed Germany's neighbours, with French Finance Minister Roland Lescure calling it a "very, very worrying signal" amid a global populist wave. The AfD, classified as right-wing extremist by domestic intelligence, aims to win at least 40 percent in the 2029 national election, while Merz faces further state elections in coming weeks.