Alternative for Germany wins Saxony-Anhalt election but may fall short of majority

Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats won just 18.5% of the vote, while the Left Party came in third with 9.5%. The Social Democrats received 8%, the Greens 9%, while the Bureau for National Social Cooperation party, contrary to expectations, cleared the 5% threshold and returned to the state parliament.

Voter turnout reached a record 76.5%. Vote counting is still underway, but Alternative for Germany, or AfD, appears to have fallen short of an absolute majority, which it had described as a key condition for taking power because it opposes forming a coalition with another party.

The CDU and all other major parties have also ruled out forming a governing coalition with AfD. Germany's domestic intelligence service has classified AfD in Saxony-Anhalt as "right-wing extremist."

Of the state's 2.1 million residents, 1.7 million were eligible to vote. Polling stations opened at 8 a.m. local time and closed at 6 p.m., when exit poll results were released.

Final polls before the vote showed AfD with 40% to 41% support. The party won more votes than projected but appears to have fallen short of its lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund's goal of securing at least 45% of the vote. Siegmund repeatedly said he would refuse to serve as the state's premier unless his party won an absolute majority.