AfD wins big in German regional election, falls short of bid to become first far-right party to lead a state since WWII

September 6, 2026 / 11:25 PM EDT / AP

The far-right Alternative for Germany party surged to a resounding victory in a regional election Sunday, but fell a little short of winning a majority in its quest to form the country's first far-right state government since World War II.

The party of Germany's unpopular leader, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, slumped to a disastrous result in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. The anti-migration and Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany's candidate for governor said that "we have written history" and the party had a clear mandate to govern.

Ulrich Siegmund, 35, told public broadcaster ARD that voters had sent a signal that "things cannot carry on like this." He said that "a very good campaigner for us in this election campaign was Friedrich Merz."

Alternative for Germany, or AfD, was seeking an absolute majority in the state legislature to govern alone and overcome the so-called firewall of mainstream parties' refusal to work with AfD.

Final results showed AfD falling three seats short, with 39 lawmakers in an 83-member parliament. Siegmund said it wouldn't engage in "games" such as a minority government. But it wasn't evident how its divided opponents could assemble any stable government…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/