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Germany's far-right AfD is projected to take roughly 44% in Saxony-Anhalt's regional election — more than double its 2021 share and nearly 26 points ahead of Chancellor Merz's CDU — putting the party on track to potentially lead a German state for the first time since World War II.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**AfD** is projected at 44.1%–44.5% in Saxony-Anhalt, roughly doubling its 20.8% share from 2021, while **Chancellor Merz's CDU** fell to about 18.5% — half its previous vote, per exit polls from ARD and ZDF.

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

If the AfD secures enough seats to govern, it would be the first postwar German state led by the far right; the party is also now polling first at the federal level, according to the report.

📎 SkimNews has covered AfD 12+ times · see the file →

German exit polls suggest far-right party has big lead in regional election — SkimNews

By NPR News · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-09-06

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AfD is projected at 44.1%–44.5% in Saxony-Anhalt, roughly doubling its 20.8% share from 2021, while Chancellor Merz's CDU fell to about 18.5% — half its previous vote, per exit polls from ARD and ZDF.
If the AfD secures enough seats to govern, it would be the first postwar German state led by the far right; the party is also now polling first at the federal level, according to the report.
Ulrich Siegmund, a 35-year-old former marketing executive, led AfD's Saxony-Anhalt campaign on mass deportations and harder-right migration and education policy while projecting the polished, friendly image of Germany's newly professionalized far right.
President Trump posted a screenshot of the projections on Truth Social; Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev retweeted it calling the result a "historic win," and Elon Musk also offered congratulations that Siegmund publicly thanked him for.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said only "idiots or traitors" would celebrate an AfD victory in Germany, and France's Europe Minister Benjamin Haddad called it a "grave moment in Europe."
The AfD has called for ending German support for Ukraine, revoking refugee protections for Ukrainians, closer ties with Russia and the U.S. MAGA movement, and reshaping the region's public broadcaster, per the report.

Why it matters: An AfD-led Saxony-Anhalt would be the first far-right state government in postwar Germany, paired with AfD now polling first nationally — a one-two punch that weakens Chancellor Merz's fragile coalition and gives Berlin's anti-Ukraine, pro-Russia wing of politics a power base inside a state government for the first time since 1945.