The Explainer
The Explainer
8 Sep 2026
How did the AfD become so powerful in Germany?
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The far-right Alternative for Germany party won almost 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday, more than doubling its support and delivering its strongest ever result in a German state election. The result has shaken Chancellor Friedrich Merz's CDU and brought the AfD closer than ever to taking power at state level. Who is voting for the party, why is it particularly strong in eastern Germany, and what could its rise mean for the country as a whole? Deutsche Welle political correspondent and AfD specialist Matthew Moore joins us.