Germany's CDU loses mandate to govern Saxony-Anhalt, state premier says
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democrats no longer have a mandate to govern in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, said incumbent CDU state premier Sven Schulze on Monday.
"We, the CDU, no longer hold a mandate to govern. We are in opposition. The mandate to govern now lies with the AfD, and I will be taking this result to the party board this evening," said Schulze, who had run against the AfD's Ulrich Siegmund.
Merz: 'I am aware of my personal responsibility for our country', 'willing to take the responsibility'
Merz says Germany's 'values are still valid', but the country ‘needs fundamental reforms’
Germany’s Merz ‘deeply shocked’ by AfD’s landslide electoral victory
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday he was "deeply shocked" by AfD’s landslide state election victory.
Merz said the vote showed that deep reforms are needed but he underscored that basic democratic values were still valid.
"I want to assure everyone in our country of this: Our institutions are resilient and stable. Our Basic Law protects and guarantees this order," Merz said after what he described as the worst defeat for his party, the CDU, in decades in the election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.
"This message is also directed at our friends in Europe and across the globe," he added.
Trump supporters celebrate far-right victory in German state vote
Supporters of US President Donald Trump cheered on Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) after the party won a landslide victory in a key regional election on Sunday.
Trump has not explicitly responded but posted an infographic of the results on his Truth Social platform on Sunday evening, indicating his interest.
Former US ambassador to Germany during Trump's first term, Richard Grenell, celebrated the results as "a huge win and a new day in Germany".
"The people are ready for change no matter what names you call them," he said on X.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk was among the first to celebrate AfD's victory with a resounding "Well done!" in response to a post from AfD's co-leader Alice Weidel.
Ulrich Siegmund, the 35-year-old lead candidate for AfD in Saxony-Anhalt state, thanked Musk for his support and said he would "welcome the opportunity for strong and constructive cooperation."
"Germany would once again be a place worth investing in," he said on X.
Musk has been a longtime supporter of the AfD, having previously described it as "the best hope for the future of Germany" before the federal elections in February 2025.
Germany's Merz says AfD win has shaken party to its core, Bild reports
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the far-right AfD's election victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt had shaken his CDU party to its core and signalled that a major reckoning was needed, the Bild newspaper reported on Monday.
"This shakes our party to its very foundations. We cannot simply carry on as before, nor can I, nor can the federal government," Merz said, according to the newspaper.
"This shakes our party to its very foundations" says Merz
Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the far-right AfD's election victory had shaken his CDU party to its core and signalled that a major reckoning was needed, the Bild newspaper reported on Monday.
"This shakes our party to its very foundations. We cannot simply carry on as before, nor can I, nor can the federal government," Merz said, according to the newspaper.
Spanish PM warns 'extremist threat' is advancing, after German state poll
Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday warned an "extremist threat" was advancing throughout the world after Germany's far-right AfD secured a landmark landslide success in a state election.
Sunday's vote was a "warning that the extremist threat, largely thanks to the surrender of the traditional right, is gaining ground in Europe and in the world", Sanchez, one of Europe's few leftist leaders, told a Socialist party gathering in Madrid.
- AfD's Weidel targets 40% in next German federal election after state victory
- Victory of far-right AfD in German state election is very worrying, says Polish foreign minister
- AfD to sound out lawmakers on backing government in Saxony-Anhalt, Siegmund says
- Germany’s Merz is ‘deeply shocked’ by AfD’s landslide electoral victory
🎥Germany: 'Hard to say' if AfD win the result of protest vote
The AfD surged into first place in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, exit polls showed, putting a far-right party within reach of governing at the state level for the first time since World War II.
However, the broadcaster’s correspondent in Berlin, Nick Holdsworth, says it is “hard to say” if the victory is more the result of dissatisfaction with Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s governing conservatives, or an explicit endorsement of the AfD.
AfD to sound out lawmakers on backing government in Saxony-Anhalt, Siegmund says
The far-right Alternative for Germany will talk to individual parliamentary groups and lawmakers to see if they would support the party in governing the parliament in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, said AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund.
"We will, of course, hold discussions to see whether there are - and this is a crucial message today - individual parliamentary groups or individual MPs willing to join us in tackling this historic task," said Siegmund after the AfD notched a historic win in the state but fell short of an absolute majority.
AfD's Weidel targets 40% in next German federal election after state victory
The far-right Alternative for Germany is aiming to win at least 40 percent in the next federal election after a historic win in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, said national co-leader Alice Weidel on Monday.
"My stated goal is to significantly widen the gap in a very short time and grow to at least 40% for the next federal election," said Weidel.
Merz a 'major burden' for Germany, says far-right AfD after vote win
Germany's far-right AfD charged Monday that its state election triumph the previous day showed that Chancellor Friedrich Merz had become "a major burden" for the country.
"No chancellor before has been as unpopular as Friedrich Merz, who has become a major burden on Germany's prosperous development," said party co-leader Alice Weidel, after her party won Saxony-Anhalt state elections in a landslide. "The election in Saxony-Anhalt has shown that people expect a change in politics."
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to speak at 13:30 Paris time
🎥 'Jubilation and Pain': The German far-right marches to victory in key state election
The far right marches to victory in a German state election. What does this mean for the future of Germany and Europe at large?
Also: The Daily Telegraph publishes an exclusive interview with the sons of former prime minister Imran Khan about his inhumane imprisonment conditions in Pakistan.
And, the US Open turns to chaos after influencers, weed and disruptions stir controversy.
Hungary's ex-PM Orban congratulates AfD on 'landslide victory'
Hungary's PM Orban congratulates AfD on 'landslide victory'
Victory of far-right AfD in German state election is very worrying, says Polish foreign minister
The victory of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday is a disturbing signal, Poland's foreign minister said on Monday.
"It seems they're just a few votes short of an absolute majority, but this is indeed a very worrying sign," Radoslaw Sikorski told Radio Vox FM.
Germany's Merz under pressure from far-right election triumph
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will huddle Monday with his CDU party to discuss and digest their thumping defeat at the hands of the far-right AfD party in a state election in the ex-communist east.
The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany scored its biggest win yet Sunday with 44 percent of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt, against about 18 percent for the centre-right CDU, according to broadcasters' projections.
The visibly dejected CDU state premier Sven Schulze said his campaign was not always helped by national government policies, saying that "we often faced headwinds, and that wasn't always easy".
The ballot box triumph put the pro-Trump and Moscow-friendly AfD – officially listed as "right-wing extremist" by Germany's domestic intelligence agency – within reach of running its first-ever state government.
(the broadcaster with AFP, AP and Reuters)
