Friedrich Merz holds talks with his CDU party after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) delivers a major election result in Saxony-Anhalt. Multiple outlets report that AfD’s performance strengthens its position toward potentially taking state government for the first time.
Euronews and other reports describe AfD as a pro-Trump and Moscow-friendly party, noting that Germany’s domestic intelligence agency classifies it as “right-wing extremist.” The defeat in the ex-communist east is presented as a political blow for Merz and the CDU, which is now pressured to respond to AfD’s rise.
Outlets also differ slightly on the emphasis and numbers. Free Malaysia Today and Kyiv Post both cite AfD winning a record 44% of the vote, far ahead of the CDU at about 18%. Kyiv Post adds that AfD finishes just three seats short of a parliamentary majority, while RTE and Euronews focus more on Merz’s immediate internal response and the prospect of AfD moving closer to running a state government.
