Germany’s Far-Right AfD Wins Big, But Not Enough to Rule Alone

Germany’s anti-immigrant party, Alternative for Germany (AfD), scored a record 43.8% of the vote in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt’s election. The result, based on preliminary official counts, makes the AfD the strongest party in the state by a wide margin. However, the party fell short of the majority needed to govern alone. The mainstream conservative CDU, led by Armin Laschet, slumped to a historic low of 17.2% in the state. This is a sharp drop from its previous performance and marks a major setback for the party ahead of Germany’s national elections in September. The AfD’s success in Saxony-Anhalt, a mostly rural state with a small immigrant population, shows strong public anger over national migration policies. Yet, because other parties refuse to form a coalition with the AfD, the party cannot take power on its own. This leaves the state likely to be governed by a fragile alliance of other parties.