---
title: "AfD polls 44.2% in Saxony-Anhalt and claims a historic first standalone control of a state"
description: "According to an ARD forecast, the AfD polls 44.2% in the Saxony-Anhalt elections, while Chancellor Merz's CDU gets just 18.5%, down from 37.1% in 2021. The party claims a historic first standalone control of the state, but the outcome depends on the distribution of mandates."
date: 2026-09-06T19:58:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/afd-record-result-saxony-anhalt-2026
tags: [afd, germany, saxony-anhalt, elections-2026, cdu, friedrich-merz, ultra-right]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# AfD polls 44.2% in Saxony-Anhalt and claims a historic first standalone control of a state

![AfD supporter wearing a party jacket with the AfD logo at a campaign event in Saxony-Anhalt, where AfD polls 44.2%](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/06/afd-rekordnyj-rezultat-saksoniya-angalt-2026/afd-rekordnyj-rezultat-saksoniya-angalt-2026-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The AfD polls 44.2% in Saxony-Anhalt per the ARD forecast — potentially the party's best result in its history
- Chancellor Merz's CDU gets 18.5%, down from 37.1% in 2021, losing nearly half its support
- The AfD claims a mandate to form a government, but the outcome depends on the distribution of mandates and the BSW's position
- The AfD's campaign was built on a hardline migration policy, conservative values, and criticism of the traditional forces

In the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament (Landtag) elections, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is polling 44.2% of the vote, according to an ARD forecast released at 20:27 local time (21:27 Kyiv time). This is roughly 23 percentage points more than the party received in the previous election, and potentially the best result for the AfD since its founding in 2013. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's party — the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) — is polling just 18.5% under the same forecast, down from 37.1% in 2021, meaning support for the Christian Democrats in the region has nearly halved in five years.

### A historic threshold and the question of a majority

The key question that the final results will answer is whether the AfD will win enough mandates to form a state government on its own. If the party secures an absolute majority in the Landtag, it will be a historic event for modern Germany: the AfD would take control of a federal state government for the first time. Party co-chair Alice Weidel has already called the result "historic" and stated that the AfD has received a "clear mandate to form a government." The AfD's main candidate in the region, 35-year-old Ulrich Sigmund, added that the party has "effectively entered history," and hinted that Merz's tenure as chancellor should come to an end: "Every day this man remains in the chancellery is one day too many."

### Contradictory data

Here, the parties' versions and the figures themselves diverge. On the one hand, the AfD publicly declares its readiness and "mandate" to govern the state independently. On the other, the final distribution of mandates has not yet been determined, and if the party falls short of an absolute majority by a few mandates, it will have to seek coalition partners — while the traditional parties categorically refuse to cooperate with the far-right. A key factor is the "Sara Wagenknecht Alliance" (BSW), which is fighting to clear the 5% threshold: the party has already declared its willingness to work with the AfD, thereby securing a majority for it. Thus, the claim of a "clear mandate" currently runs ahead of the factual situation and depends on the final arithmetic of mandates.

### Why voters chose the AfD

The AfD's campaign was built on a hardline migration policy, conservative values, and criticism of the traditional political forces. Among the party's proposals are strengthening the deportation of migrants as part of a "remigration offensive," restricting migration, changes to school education, a ban on rainbow flags in schools, greater emphasis on traditional values and family benefits after the birth of a child. The AfD also advocates closer relations with Moscow, including resuming school exchange programs with Russia, and proposes revising the approach to teaching German history in schools. The region, home to just over 2 million people, remains one of the main centers of support for the AfD in the country, and the CDU had governed it for the past 24 years.

### Reaction from the losers

For the CDU, the result was a serious defeat: the party's general secretary Franziska Hoppermann called it "very heavy" and a "collective defeat" for the Christian Democrats. The drop in support from 37.1% to 18.5% over five years, amid 24 years of governing the region, makes this outcome not merely a regional but a systemic problem for the party, which is led at the federal level by Chancellor Merz.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Far-right AfD leads in German elections: victory could cost Merz his job](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/ultraprava-afd-lidirue-viborah-nimechchini-1788724514.html) - Подтверждает лидерство AfD и провал ХДС; в заголовке искажено имя канцлера (Мерц), что не влияет на суть фактов.
- [Fateful elections in Saxony-Anhalt: polls predict a victory for the Alternative for Germany](https://www.newsru.co.il/world/6sep2026/afd_202.html) - Совпадает с прогнозом о победе AfD; данные носят характер опросов/прогноза.
- [A "Russian Army" mug found on the leader of the Alternative for Germany](https://www.newsru.co.il/world/31aug2026/afd_202.html) - Совпадает с прогнозом о победе AfD; данные носят характер опросов/прогноза.
- [If a far-right AfD representative became German chancellor, 22% of Germans would leave the country ...](https://zn.ua/europe/esli-by-kantslerom-hermanii-stal-predstavitel-ultrapravoj-partii-adn-22-nemtsev-uekhali-by-iz-strany-ho-oprosa.html) - Контекст об общественном отношении к AfD; не противоречит основным фактам статьи.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What result did the AfD achieve in the Saxony-Anhalt elections?
**A:** According to an ARD forecast released at 20:27 local time, the AfD polls 44.2% of the vote — roughly 23 percentage points more than in the previous election, and potentially the party's best result since 2013.

### Q: Can the AfD form a state government on its own?
**A:** It depends on the final distribution of mandates. The AfD claims a "clear mandate," but if it falls short of an absolute majority, it will need coalition partners, while the traditional parties refuse to cooperate with the far-right. The BSW becomes a key factor.

### Q: What result did Chancellor Merz's CDU achieve?
**A:** According to the ARD forecast, the CDU polls 18.5%, down from 37.1% in the 2021 elections, meaning the party's support in the region has nearly halved over five years.

### Q: What did the AfD base its campaign on?
**A:** On a hardline migration policy, conservative values, criticism of the traditional political forces, as well as proposals to draw closer to Moscow and to revise school education.