Archive · 7 Sep 2026
AfD Victory in Saxony-Anhalt Signals Major Shift for Germany
The AfD, a hard-Right German party, won a state election in Saxony-Anhalt.
It received far more votes than the Christian Democrats.
This is the first time the AfD has won a regional parliament since 1945.
The party wants tougher rules for migrants and closed borders.
It also wants changes involving schools, LGBTQ symbols, public broadcasters, and wind farms.
Its state leader has suggested changing history books and ending compulsory school attendance.
Many people protested because they fear the party’s ideas and links to nationalism.
The result could increase pressure on Germany’s national government and other political parties.
Exit polls gave the Alternative for Germany (AfD) 44.2% in Saxony-Anhalt, ahead of the CDU’s 17.4%.
The result marks the AfD’s first regional parliament victory since the end of Nazi rule in 1945.
The party campaigned on closing borders, deporting illegal migrants, and protecting what it calls the homeland.
AfD leader Ulrich Siegmund has proposed banning rainbow flags in state schools and changing school attendance rules and history books.
Thousands protested in Magdeburg, expressing fears about a hard-Right party governing the state.
- Who
- The Alternative for Germany (AfD), led in Saxony-Anhalt by Ulrich Siegmund, defeated the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
- What
- The AfD won the Saxony-Anhalt election with 44.2% in exit polls, compared with 17.4% for the CDU.
- When
- The result was reported after the election, with protests taking place on the following Saturday.
- Where
- Saxony-Anhalt, an eastern German state; demonstrations were held in Magdeburg, its regional capital.
- Why
- The result reflects support for the AfD’s anti-migration platform and dissatisfaction with Germany’s political direction, including concerns about illegal migration.
AfD Supporters
AfD Opponents
Migration and borders
AfD Supporters
Supporters favor the AfD’s pledge to protect the homeland by closing borders and deporting illegal migrants.
AfD Opponents
Opponents fear the consequences of an anti-migration party taking control and object to its nationalist approach.
Schools and culture
AfD Supporters
The AfD supports banning rainbow flags in state schools and has proposed changes to compulsory attendance and history books.
AfD Opponents
Critics protested against these proposals and expressed concern about minimizing or changing discussion of Nazi history.
State policy direction
AfD Supporters
AfD supporters view the result as the beginning of a movement spreading across Germany that can no longer be stopped.
AfD Opponents
Thousands of protesters warned against the party’s hard-Right politics, with one banner saying, “Life is better without Nazis.”
- AfD vote share
- 44.2%, according to ARD exit polls
- CDU vote share
- 17.4%, according to the report
- Historical significance
- The AfD’s first regional parliament victory since the end of Nazi rule in 1945
- AfD migration policy
- Close the border to illegal migrants and deport them
- School proposal
- Ban LGBTQ rainbow flags in state schools
- Other proposals
- Reform public broadcasters and stop construction of wind farms
- Public reaction
- Thousands protested in Magdeburg against the AfD’s rise