The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has won the Saxony-Anhalt state election in eastern Germany, according to exit polls, marking the first time since World War II that a far-right party is set to take power at the state level.

The AfD secured 44.5 percent of the vote, according to ARD broadcaster's exit polls released on Sunday, more than double the result of the incumbent center-right Christian Democrats (CDU), led by current German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who garnered only 18.5 percent.

“We have achieved exactly what we wanted to achieve,” said AfD's lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund, 35, after the exit poll results came in. “We have made history in this state.” AfD co-leader Alice Weidel also hailed a “historic” result, which has given the far-right party a clear mandate to govern, though it was not immediately clear whether it would be able to form a government.

“The reality is the AfD has got the lion's share of the votes in this election, according to the exit polls. But the question is: is it enough to get them control of the state? Right now, we cannot say for sure,” Al Jazeera's Dominic Kane said from Magdeburg, eastern Germany. The exit polls suggest the party has narrowly missed securing an absolute majority in the state parliament in Magdeburg.

Siegmund said he wanted to extend a hand to all parties willing to bring about a fundamental political transformation in the state. However, the AfD will not bend to other parties' will, he stressed. The AfD has never participated in a ruling coalition in Germany's 16 states or its federal government, as all other mainstream parties refuse to work with it, a policy infamously known as the “firewall”.

Sunday's result is another blow to the authority of Merz, whose popularity has fallen as his coalition government struggles to revive growth in Europe's largest economy. The outcome signals a significant shift in Germany's political landscape, with potential implications for national politics and the European Union's stability.

Source: www.aljazeera.com