The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has won a historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt, becoming the largest political force in the eastern German state but falling short of the parliamentary majority needed to govern alone.
According to the preliminary official result released by the Saxony-Anhalt State Election Authority, the AfD won 43.8% of the second vote in Sunday’s Landtag election. The result translated into 39 of the 83 seats in the state parliament, leaving the party three seats short of the 42 required for an outright majority.
The result more than doubles the AfD’s 20.8% share in the 2021 state election and gives the party its strongest result in a German state election.
AfD Opens Wide Lead Over CDU
The AfD’s victory fundamentally changed the balance of power in the Landtag.
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which had governed Saxony-Anhalt for more than two decades, finished second with 17.2%. The Social Democratic Party won 9.3%, followed by the Greens with 8.9%, the Left with 8.6% and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) with 5.3%.
The CDU’s result marks a sharp decline from its 37.1% share in 2021, leaving the party almost 27 percentage points behind the AfD in the preliminary second-vote result.
The figures establish the AfD as the largest parliamentary group while leaving the CDU and other parties facing the task of determining how a governing majority can be assembled.
Electoral Victory Does Not Translate Into an Immediate Government
Despite its dominant vote share, the AfD cannot form a government on its own.
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The party holds 39 seats, compared with the 42 required for a majority in the 83-member Landtag. Other parties have ruled out cooperation with the AfD, leaving the composition of the next state government unresolved.
AfD leader Ulrich Siegmund has said the party wants to form a government. With other parties rejecting cooperation, however, the election result does not by itself give the AfD control of the state executive.
The immediate political issue is therefore government formation rather than the identity of the election’s winner.
Coalition Arithmetic Narrows the Options
The preliminary seat distribution places coalition negotiations at the center of the post-election process.
According to an analysis by German public broadcaster ARD based on the official result, the CDU, SPD and Greens together hold 31 seats. The Left has eight seats and the BSW five.
Those figures leave no straightforward two-party alternative capable of producing a majority while excluding the AfD. Any governing arrangement involving the other parties would therefore require negotiations across significant political differences.
The AfD’s position as the largest parliamentary group adds another institutional complication: it has secured a commanding electoral position without obtaining enough seats to govern independently.
CDU Faces Major Electoral Reversal
The result is a significant setback for the CDU in a state where it has been a dominant political force for decades.
With 17.2%, the party recorded its weakest result in a Saxony-Anhalt state election, according to the preliminary official figures.
State Premier Sven Schulze now faces the task of determining whether a government can be formed around the CDU despite its distant second-place finish.
The scale of the AfD’s lead means potential coalition partners would have to negotiate a majority while excluding the largest party from government, creating a difficult parliamentary balance.
AfD’s Result Marks a Major Shift in the State Parliament
The AfD’s 43.8% share represents a profound change from the previous state election.
Its support has more than doubled since 2021, when it received 20.8% of the second vote. The resulting 39 seats make it by far the largest group in the new Landtag.
The result also underscores the party’s strong electoral position in eastern Germany. For national political parties, the Saxony-Anhalt outcome provides a significant indication of the changing balance of support in one of the country’s eastern states.
The election, however, stops short of giving the AfD direct governing authority because the party did not secure the parliamentary majority required to form a government alone.
Final Result Still to Be Certified
The preliminary result does not immediately conclude the electoral process.
The Saxony-Anhalt State Election Authority has scheduled September 22 for the establishment of the final state result after the relevant election authorities complete their reviews.
In the meantime, the parties will assess possible governing arrangements and the parliamentary configuration that can command a majority.
The AfD enters that process with an unprecedented level of electoral support in the state but remains three seats short of the threshold required to govern alone.
A Clear Election Winner, But No Clear Government
Saxony-Anhalt’s election has produced a decisive parliamentary leader without resolving who will form the next government.
The AfD has won its strongest state-election result, moved far ahead of the CDU and secured 39 seats in the 83-member Landtag. But without 42 seats, and with other parties ruling out cooperation, its electoral breakthrough has not automatically translated into executive power.
The next stage will be shaped by coalition negotiations and the formal certification of the result. Until those processes are completed, the central political question remains whether the AfD’s historic electoral strength can be converted into governing authority or will leave the party as the largest opposition force.
Reporting Credit: Landeswahlleiterin Sachsen-Anhalt / Saxony-Anhalt State Election Authority — official 2026 Landtag election results, second-vote totals, turnout, party vote shares and preliminary seat distribution; Landtag of Sachsen-Anhalt — official election date, parliamentary framework and Landtag election information; Saxony-Anhalt election law and official election guidance — rules governing the five-percent threshold, seat allocation and post-election certification.
