Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz has acknowledged the need for a fundamental political response after the far-right Alternative for Germany secured a historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt, dealing a severe blow to his centre-right CDU.
The AfD won more than 43 per cent of the vote in Sunday’s state election, while the CDU secured just 17 per cent, ending its long dominance of the eastern German state and underlining the growing challenge facing the country’s mainstream parties.
Mr Merz said he was “deeply shocked” by the result and accepted personal responsibility for the scale of the defeat, describing it as a turning point for both his party and the federal government.
“This shakes our party to its very foundations. We cannot simply carry on as before, nor can I, nor can the federal government,” he said, according to Bild.
The chancellor nevertheless ruled out resignation, insisting that “giving up is not an option”. He said the government would have to demonstrate that “the path we chose last year … is the right one” if it was to regain public trust.
The result is the largest electoral success in the AfD’s 13-year history and represents a significant test for the informal “firewall” maintained by Germany’s mainstream parties, which have broadly refused to co-operate with the party.
Mr Merz warned that Germany’s political system was undergoing a profound transformation.
“We have a strong constitution; we have all the tools to defend the constitution against a right-wing extremist state government — but our party system is undergoing a tectonic shift,” he said.
Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD’s state leader, described the victory as “sensational” and said the party hoped to form a government quickly.
“We extend a hand to all democratic forces that wish to pursue better policies,” he said.
However, he added that migration and domestic security would be “non-negotiable” in any discussions with potential coalition partners.
Tino Chrupalla, the AfD’s national leader, said the election demonstrated widespread dissatisfaction with the governing coalition.
“The mainstream parties were voted out, or rather, the voters delivered a clear verdict, and I can only encourage them to recognise that the ‘firewall’ has been definitively rejected by the voters today,” Mr Chrupalla told broadcaster ARD.
The AfD’s advance comes amid persistent concerns over Germany’s weak economy, the cost of living and immigration. Mr Merz came to office in 2025 promising reforms and a major programme of infrastructure and defence investment, financed partly through increased borrowing.
However, those plans have yet to produce significant improvements in household confidence, particularly in eastern Germany. Mr Merz also reaffirmed his commitment to Ukraine, saying he would not deviate “even a millimeter” from Berlin’s existing policy, despite the AfD campaigning for closer relations with Moscow.
The election result will intensify pressure on Germany’s mainstream parties to address the economic and political discontent that has fuelled the AfD’s rise ahead of federal elections scheduled for 2029.
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