Germany's far-right AfD says 'democracy demands' parties work with them after state election win
Summary
Germany's far-right party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), nearly won a majority in the state election of Saxony-Anhalt with about 43.8% of the vote. The AfD is now trying to work with other parties or members to form a government, but most parties refuse to cooperate with them.Key Facts
- The AfD won 39 seats in the 83-seat Saxony-Anhalt state parliament, just three seats short of a majority.
- Saxony-Anhalt has about 2.1 million people and controls local policing and education.
- The AfD is labeled "right-wing extremist" by German domestic intelligence, a label the party rejects.
- AfD leaders say they have a clear mandate to govern and are seeking talks with other parties or individual lawmakers.
- Most German parties refuse to work with the AfD except the small BSW party, which may support an AfD minority government.
- The CDU party, with 17.2% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt, has some unhappy members considering talks with the AfD.
- AfD is popular in eastern Germany and leads national opinion polls ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives and the Social Democrats.
- The AfD’s policies include a controversial plan called “remigration,” involving deporting criminals and people in Germany illegally.
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