"Huge step forward" - AfD wins election in Saxony

The AfD has clearly won the federal election in Saxony. The party, which has been classified by the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a confirmed right-wing extremist party, achieved 37.3 percent after all constituencies were counted, according to data from the state election administrator.

The CDU is far behind with 19.7 percent. It was followed by the Left (11.3 percent), just ahead of the BSW (9.0 percent) and SPD (8.5 percent). The Greens received 6.5 percent of the vote and the FDP 3.2 percent.

First votes: 15 constituencies go to AfD

In 15 of the 16 constituencies in Saxony, the AfD won the first votes. In one of the two Leipzig constituencies, the left-wing candidate won the most votes. However, due to the electoral law reform, which is now taking effect for the first time, not all victorious constituency direct candidates will automatically enter the Bundestag: they will only receive a mandate if their party receives enough second votes.

The AfD had already been the strongest force in the Free State in the two previous federal elections. In the state elections last September, however, the party was just behind the CDU. Nationwide, the AfD was in second place after all constituencies had been counted.

The voter turnout in Saxony was 81.2% - the second-highest figure since the fall of communism. Only in 1998 did slightly more voters take part in a federal election, at 81.6%. Compared to 2021, there was an increase of 4.7 percentage points.

Urban: "Huge step forward"

Saxony's AfD leader Jörg Urban expressed his satisfaction with his party's result in the early evening. "This is a huge step forward for us", he said on "MDR-Sachsenspiegel".

In perspective, Urban sees the CDU/CSU as a coalition partner. At the moment, the CDU is "blinking to the right", but is pursuing "left-wing politics" with the red and green parties, said Urban. The CDU must be hunted down so that it becomes a conservative party again. "And then the hand is outstretched." In contrast, the CDU consistently rules out cooperation with the AfD.

CDU evokes stable conditions in Germany

The CDU in Saxony saw the election result as a "strong mandate to govern". General Secretary Tom Unger hopes that there will be enough for a two-party constellation at the end of the election evening. The country now needs stable conditions, he said. They are campaigning for a change of policy in Germany and accept the election result with humility.

Left party leaders see election result as a vote of confidence

The party leadership of the Left Party in Saxony sees the surprisingly good result of their party as a vote of confidence. "We are very pleased with the good left-wing result. We have addressed the issues that concern most people in this country," party leader Susanne Schaper and her co-chairman Stefan Hartmann told the German Press Agency. They had won back the trust of many people because they had remained true to themselves.

SPD speaks of catastrophic result

The SPD described their result as a "catastrophic defeat". "This result is garbage", said SPD state leader Henning Homann in front of disappointed party members in Dresden. "There's nothing to sugarcoat." The SPD received 16.4 percent of the vote nationwide - its worst result in a federal election.

Greens optimistic

Greens MP Paula Piechotta was optimistic about her party's result. "Compared to the state elections in the fall, we have gained votes in Saxony and we are the only governing party that has been able to keep its result stable compared to 2021," she said. The Greens had been at 5.1 percent in the state election in September.