Pushkov: Saxony-Anhalt vote a rebuke to Merz's policies

Preliminary results from the Saxony-Anhalt state election show a decisive victory for the opposition party Alternative for Germany (AfD), which received 44.7 percent of the vote, double that of the ruling coalition. Russian senator Alexey Pushkov commented on the outcome, stating that "part of Germany seems to be waking up" and that Friedrich Merz's "anti-national policy" is being rejected in the region. The results are based on a 94 percent vote count. The election outcome is seen as a rebuke to the ruling coalition. This development follows prior reports that Russia would change its approach to Germany if Berlin supplied Ukraine with long-range Taurus cruise missiles.