The far-right party (AfD) tops the elections in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt

Berlin, Sept 6 (KUNA) -- The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party led the preliminary results of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament elections on Sunday, pulling ahead by a wide margin from Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which is expected to suffer a significant defeat according to observers.

The ARD and ZDF television networks reported that, based on preliminary projections, the AfD would secure 44.5 percent of the vote, compared to 20.8 percent in the 2021 elections. Meanwhile, the CDU fell to 18.5 percent, down from 37.1 percent in the previous election, marking its worst result in a state election. The Left Party received 9 percent of the vote, the Greens 8.5 percent, and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) 8 percent.

The election campaign was dominated by a fundamental question: whether the AfD could join the state government, alongside the issue of migration. The far-right party spoke of what it described as “asylum chaos,” vowing to put an end to it. Other key issues included revitalizing energy prices and the economy, and strengthening internal security. (End) E.N.J./S.A.M.