Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has claimed a historic win in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt and is now pushing other parties to co-operate with it, arguing that "democracy demands" they do so. Preliminary results give the AfD 43.8% of the vote, leaving it three seats short of an outright majority, and it is now seeking backing from other parties or individual MPs to form a government. This matters because no far-right party has governed a German state since the Second World War, and the outcome could reshape how mainstream parties respond to the AfD's growing strength, particularly in the country's east.

The AfD is projected to win 39 of 83 seats, three short of the 42 needed for a majority, with the party's Saxony-Anhalt leader Ulrich Siegmund calling the result a "clear mandate to govern" and deputy federal leader Beatrix von Storch urging rivals to enter talks. Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose CDU saw its vote share almost halved to 17.2%, described the result as "seismic" and said Germany needed "profound reforms". Options being discussed include informal support from the small BSW party to allow an AfD minority government, an unlikely CDU-led minority coalition, or a fresh election, with the AfD's controversial plans including segregated schooling for child refugees and a task force to deport migrants without residency rights.