Associated Press reported that the right-wing party “Alternative for Germany” won the Saxony-Anhalt state election by securing 43.8% of the vote and 39 seats out of a total of 83 seats in the state parliament, but it is three seats short of an absolute majority.

The party more than doubled its vote share compared to the election five years ago. Ulrich Siegmund, the party’s candidate for head of the state government, said that the AfD has “made history” and that voters have given it a clear mandate to govern.

The Christian Democratic Union led by Friedrich Merz, Germany’s chancellor, with 17.2% of the vote and 15 seats, lost almost half of its support. The party has been in charge of the state government leadership for the past 24 years.

Mainstream parties have rejected cooperation with the AfD, and the differences among them have made it difficult to form a stable government. If the AfD can form a government, it will, for the first time in its history, take leadership of a German state.

Hashtags: ["Iran International"]