Updated 1w+ ago · World
Merz Postpones Trump Call After President Praises AfD.
The AfD finished first in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday with 43.8% of the vote, its highest share in any German state election. The CDU, which held the state premiership, collapsed to 17.2%.
- 39 AfD seats were won; 43 are needed for a majority.
- 17.2% was the CDU's final result, down from 37% at the prior election.
- 9% of voters approved of Chancellor Merz's performance, per exit polling.
- AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said the party is now targeting 40% nationally; it polls at roughly 28%.
Why it matters: For 13 years, mainstream German parties have refused any cooperation that would let the AfD take executive power. That strategy now faces its stiffest test yet.
- A first AfD state government would be a major step toward national power the party is openly seeking.
- Two more state elections on September 20 could extend or deepen the pressure on the CDU and its coalition partners.
How 56 sources split on this story
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56 sources · 102 articles · 37% Center coverage
Where they split: The core dispute is whether any path to AfD-led government is legitimate — or whether blocking it by any available coalition is democratically justified.
Center21 sources
Reuters1w+Germany's Merz accuses far-right AfD of calling for 'ethnic cleansing'RealClearPolitics1w+AfD's Victory in Germany Is Latest Warning to US Dems on ImmigrationRealClearWorld1w+BSW and AfD – a Political Love-Hate RelationshipTimes of Israel1w+Holocaust survivor ‘appalled, saddened’ by far-right AfD’s victory in German stateAssociated Press1w+German vote shows rise of far right in Europe, but it hasn’t been a steady marchDeutsche Welle1w+Germany news: Merz, Weidel face off after AfD state winJapan Times1w+Germany is in a very dark place — and time’s running outBloomberg1w+Merz Attacks Far-Right for Support of Russia, ‘Ethnic Cleansing’CTV News1w+German far-right party taunts chancellor after its election triumph. He says it won't win a majorityFinancial Times1w+Who is voting for the far-right Alternative for Germany?Fortune1w+Germany's Merz 'deeply shocked' at far-right election win, doubles down on unpopular agenda | FortuneJerusalem Post1w+'I am appalled': Holocaust survivor raises alarm over far-right AfD victory in GermanyBBC News1w+Germany's Merz attacks AfD in parliament after far-right election winChristian Science Monitor1w+After landslide far-right victory, Germany asks: What just happened?Foreign Policy1w+German Democracy, as We Knew It, Is OverFrance 241w+Only the beginning? German far-right's breakthrough shakes Europe to its coreSemafor1w+AfD win could portend rightist surge across EuropeThe Economist1w+What should Germany do about its rising right?The Week1w+Far-right win tests German post-Nazi ‘firewall’USA Today1w+Far-right election win leaves Germany's leader Merz shakenYahoo News1w+The far right’s win in Germany is sending a chill through the establishment in Europe
Left coverage, 15 sources: The left frames the result as a dangerous advance by a party its domestic intelligence service labels confirmed right-wing extremist, warning of risks to minorities, cultural institutions, and Germany's Ukraine commitments.
The Guardian1w+‘I fear the price could be high’: Inside the German state where the far-right surgedThe Independent1w+Germany’s Merz accuses far-right AfD of calling for ‘ethnic cleansing’ after bruising defeatThe Nation1w+Let Them Eat SpreadsheetsThe New York Times1w+Germany’s Right TurnAlterNet1w+What just happened in Germany should have every American spookedCNN1w+The far right’s win in Germany is sending a chill through the establishment in EuropeLos Angeles Times1w+German far-right party taunts chancellor after its election triumph. He says it won't win a majorityMediaite1w+Germany Election Sees ‘Far-Right’ Victory That Surprises that Nation and Shocks the MediaPolitical Wire1w+A Far-Right Win Puts New Pressure On Germany’s LeaderRaw Story1w+'Clear message': Horror as Trump and Musk cheer on ally's 'far-right rampage'The Boston Globe1w+After victory in German state, far right needs help to take powerThe New Yorker1w+Can East Germany’s Cold War History Explain the Rise of the AfD?The Washington Post1w+Israel boosted Europe’s right wing — and recoils at German party’s gainsTime1w+The AfD Is Rising. Germany’s Political Center Is Failing.Vox1w+A Nazi-curious party just won big in Germany. The White House approves.
Right coverage, 20 sources: The right frames the result as a democratic mandate being blocked by an illegitimate 'firewall' of losing parties conspiring to override voters' stated will on migration and sovereignty.
Breitbart News1w+Bombshell Germany Election Could Result in Left-Right Populist CoalitionThe Gateway Pundit1w+Merz Cancels Trump Call After Trump Hails AfD Victory and Slams Germany’s Globalist Mass Migration Policy * The Gateway Pundit * by Robert SemonsenWall Street Journal1w+The AfD Is Trying to Turn Its First State Government Into a Far-Right Policy LabBizPac Review1w+German establishment responds to its ballot box drubbing in most predictable way possibleHot Air1w+The AfD Came THISCLOSE to Taking the Whole Schnitzel Sunday - Now Let the Games BeginNewsmax1w+AfD Triumph Rocks Germany's EstablishmentThe National Pulse1w+Trump Celebrates Populist Surge in German Election.Twitchy1w+Thuggish 'Far-Right' Brits Block Buses Loaded With 'Asylum-Seekers' As Another Boatload ArrivesWashington Examiner1w+Merz postpones call with Trump after president praises AfD partyZeroHedge1w+When Will There Be An 'Alternative For Canada'?Citizen Free Press1w+AfD is three seats short of governing ‘alone.’Daily Mail1w+Trump praises hard-right AfD party's election victory: 'Germany finally got tired of the immigration rules which hurt them so badly'Fox News1w+Trump hails 'really big night' for populists in German election after historic victoryLegal Insurrection1w+‘Shockwave:’ Germany’s AfD Party Wins Big in Key State ElectionNational Post1w+Adam Pankratz: AfD's rise a sign that European leaders have failed their citizensNational Review1w+Germany’s MessNew York Post1w+AfD's victory in Germany is the latest warning to US Democrats on immigrationThe American Spectator1w+Welcome to the Far RightThe Daily Caller1w+German Establishment Responds To Its Ballot Box Drubbing In Most Predictable Way PossibleTownhall1w+The Election That Shook Germany's Political Establishment to Its Core
What’s next: Coalition talks are underway. The AfD is seeking partners; all major parties have publicly refused cooperation.
- AfD's Ulrich Siegmund said he would accept only a formal majority coalition, not a minority arrangement.
- AfD senior MP Maximilian Krah said some CDU politicians in Saxony-Anhalt are considering crossing to support an AfD government.
- Will any CDU members break ranks and back an AfD-led government, and if so how many?
- Can the BSW find a procedural path that lets the AfD govern without formally joining a coalition?
- Does the result accelerate pressure on Chancellor Merz to resign before the September 20 elections?
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