Far-right AfD scores historic win in Saxony-Anhalt, rattling Berlin and Paris

French Finance Minister Roland Lescure has voiced concern over the far-right Alternative for Germany's (AfD) historic victory in Sunday's regional election in Saxony-Anhalt, describing the result as a deeply worrying signal for Europe.

The AfD won around 44 percent of the vote in the eastern German state – by far its strongest result in a regional election – while Chancellor Friedrich Merz's centre-right Christian Democratic Union secured about 18 percent, according to projections by German public broadcasters.

Speaking to RTL radio on Monday, Lescure said he had recently discussed the political situation with German business leaders who were themselves increasingly concerned.

“This shows that we face a major challenge in the face of a populist wave which is spreading around the world today and which we must resist,” he said, calling Sunday's result a “very, very worrying signal”.

The scale of the AfD victory has sent shock waves through Germany, putting the party within touching distance of an outright majority in the Saxony-Anhalt parliament and raising the prospect that it could attempt to form its first regional government.

The AfD's state branch has been classified as right-wing extremist by Germany's domestic intelligence service.

Germany's far-right AfD eyes historic breakthrough in Saxony-Anhalt election

Historic breakthrough in eastern Germany

According to projections, the AfD finished just three seats short of the 42 needed for an absolute majority in the parliament in Magdeburg.

Its lead candidate, 35-year-old Ulrich Siegmund, said the party had “made history” and argued that voters had sent a clear message to the federal government in Berlin.

He also mocked Merz, describing the chancellor as “a very good campaigner” for the AfD and saying that every day he remained in office was “one day too many”.

AfD national co-leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla urged the party's state branch to try to take control of the regional government, presenting the result as a possible blueprint for the next federal election in 2029.

Its path to power nevertheless remains uncertain. Germany's mainstream parties have so far maintained a political firewall against cooperation with the AfD, leaving a difficult search for a viable majority.

The CDU, Social Democrats, Greens and far-left Die Linke also failed to secure a clear majority between them.

The small left-populist BSW could therefore emerge as a kingmaker if it clears the five-percent threshold needed to enter parliament.

Siegmund said the AfD was ready to “extend a hand to all forces that want to bring about a fundamental political shift with us”.

German intelligence classifies AfD party as extremist threat to democracy

Pressure builds on Merz

For Merz, the result represents a serious setback at a time when his approval ratings have been under pressure.

The chancellor watched the results come in from CDU headquarters in Berlin on Sunday evening but did not address the public. He is due to meet party colleagues on Monday as the CDU assesses the scale of the defeat.

Sven Schulze, the CDU state premier in Saxony-Anhalt, acknowledged that the campaign had been complicated by dissatisfaction with the federal government.

“We often faced headwinds, and that wasn't always easy,” he said.

The result has also prompted calls from within the CDU for a rethink of its strategy towards the AfD.

Dennis Radtke, chairman of the CDU's employee wing, described the vote as a “watershed moment”, while Thorsten Frei, leader of the centre-right parliamentary group, urged caution and warned against drawing sweeping conclusions from a single regional election.

Political scientist Oliver Lembcke of Ruhr University Bochum said the result represented more than a severe electoral defeat for the CDU.

“We are witnessing a tectonic shift in the party system,” he said, arguing that the AfD was evolving in parts of eastern Germany from a protest movement into “a party with a realistic prospect of holding power”.

Founded in 2013 as a eurosceptic party, the AfD later adopted increasingly hardline positions on immigration and Islam.

Merz has sought to return the CDU to more conservative positions, tightening policy on irregular immigration while promising to revive Germany's sluggish economy.

(with newswires)