Germany’s ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) conceded defeat in Saxony-Anhalt’s state election on Sunday, as projections put the AfD on course for a historic victory.
“The election winner, the AfD, is now the strongest force in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament, and we as the CDU will also have to deal with this result,” CDU candidate Sven Schulze acknowledged.
Schulze described the election campaign as ‘extremely hard and intense’ and ‘a great challenge’ for his party.
“I openly admit that I have participated in election campaigns for 25 years. An election campaign like the one we have experienced here has not happened before,” he said.
“We often faced headwinds, and it was not always easy, and it was a great challenge. This is a task for us. We will also live up to it and deal with it. But it is also clear; it must be said: it is also a defeat for us,” he added.
According to German public broadcaster ARD projection, the AfD won around 44.2 per cent of the vote, more than doubling its 23.4 per cent result in 2021 and securing its strongest-ever showing in a German state election.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU slumped to around 18 per cent.
Despite AfD’s lead, it remains unclear whether the party would secure an absolute majority in the state parliament and be able to govern alone.
Following the exit poll, AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund did not rule out the possibility of a coalition, claiming his party would “extend a hand to all democratic forces that wish to pursue better policies.”
Source: Viory
