Overview
- Public‑broadcaster exit polls and partial counts on Sunday showed the Alternative for Germany (AfD) took about 43.8–44.5% of the vote and is projected to win 39 of 83 seats, three seats short of an outright majority.
- The newly formed Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) cleared the 5% threshold and won seats that prevented the AfD from gaining the extra lawmakers it needed to govern alone.
- All mainstream parties have reiterated a refusal to form coalitions with the AfD, leaving options limited to a minority government, persuading individual defections, ad hoc voting arrangements, or new elections.
- The Saxony‑Anhalt AfD branch is classified by the domestic intelligence agency as right‑wing extremist, which raises questions about access to sensitive briefings, state security cooperation and routine intelligence sharing if the party assumes executive roles.
- If the AfD governs it could press policies on immigration, schooling and broadcasting that use state powers—proposals include deportation measures, segregated classes for refugees and changes to public media—while many of its broader aims would face legal or federal limits and could affect investment and social cohesion.