Leaders of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has hailed its "historic" victory in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, saying the result gave them a clear mandate to form a government.
"This is a historic result," AfD leader Alice Weidel told public broadcaster ZDF in his reaction on Sunday.
"We're breaking records here; we'll break records throughout eastern Germany and at the federal level as well," she said, describing the outcome as a "very clear mandate to govern."
Weidel warned that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party "will never again win an election" if it maintains its "firewall" against cooperation with the AfD.
She described the outcome as "a disastrous result" for the CDU.
AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla echoed Weidel's remarks, calling the result "sensational."
"Ulrich Siegmund will be the new minister-president of Saxony-Anhalt," he said.
CDU rules out cooperation with AfD
Saxony-Anhalt State Premier Sven Schulze, however, ruled out cooperating with the AfD to form a government.
"I have no intention of working with the AfD," the CDU state leader told public broadcaster MDR following the election.
"But the question of working with anyone isn't even on the table today," he added.
Speaking earlier to public broadcaster ARD, Schulze had avoided giving a clear answer on whether the CDU's "firewall" against cooperation with the AfD would remain in place.
His remarks were underscored by CDU Secretary General Franziska Hoppermann, who said the result in Saxony-Anhalt will not impact the work of the federal government.
“The federal government and parliament are elected for four years — and that is not up for debate this evening,” Hoppermann reiterated.
She ruled out any cooperation with the AfD.
“We do not work with extremists — and above all not with the far right.”
The CDU, Hoppermann added, cannot work with a party that wants to leave the euro, treats Russia as a friend, and “defames our institutions, our country and its people.”
The AfD is classified as a confirmed right-wing extremist organisation by Saxony-Anhalt's state domestic intelligence agency.
The party was projected to win Sunday's election with a record 44.4% of the vote, while Merz's CDU slumped to a historic low of 18.4%, according to early ARD projections.
Despite its record vote share, the AfD was projected to fall short of a majority of seats in the state parliament in Magdeburg.
With all major parties ruling out a coalition with the AfD, the result pointed to political uncertainty and potentially lengthy negotiations to form a government.
AfD protests occur across Germany
Thousands of people took to the streets in several German cities, including Frankfurt, Berlin and Mainz, calling for a ban of the far-right party, the German Press Agency (dpa) reported.
A protest march titled ‘Defend Democracy! – Ban the AfD Now!’ made its way through Berlin’s government district.
A larger rally against the AfD is scheduled for Monday evening at Berlin's historic Brandenburg Gate.
According to the police, 5,000 people are expected to attend the gathering.
