Germany's AfD set for big win in eastern state, just short of majority
Monday, 7 September 2026
Warm-up
- What signs tell you an election is shifting toward one party?
- How influential are TV exit polls in your country?
- Should parties refuse coalitions on principle? Why or why not?
Vocabulary
- projection
- a forecast of an election result based on early counts or polls
- mandate
- the authority voters give a party to carry out its plans
- majority
- more than half of the votes or seats
- watershed
- a turning point that marks a major change
- threshold
- the minimum level needed to enter parliament or gain rights
- turnout
- the percentage of eligible voters who actually vote
- coalition
- a government formed by two or more parties working together
- extremist
- holding very radical political views, far from the mainstream
Reading
Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) is heading for a commanding win in Saxony-Anhalt, with 44% of the vote in projections and the conservative CDU far behind on 17%. Although short of a majority, the party says the result gives it a mandate to govern. Not since World War Two has a far-right party governed a German state. The AfD branch has been classified by domestic intelligence as right-wing extremist, a label Ulrich Siegmund rejects.
Seat estimates put the AfD on 39 of 83 seats, three short of the 42 needed for an outright majority. The BSW appears to have cleared the 5% threshold, reducing the AfD’s chances. Siegmund refuses to lead a minority cabinet, while other parties keep a Brandmauer and reject any coalition with the AfD. A senior CDU figure conceded a heavy defeat, and SPD leader Lars Klingbeil called the outcome a signal to Berlin.
Turnout was high at 76.7%. The anti‑migration AfD dominated the campaign, and Das Erste dropped Tatort to cover events. Abroad, Donald Trump shared a TV projection; Poland’s Donald Tusk condemned the result. Many commentators called the night a watershed for German politics.
Comprehension
- What vote share do projections give the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt?
- Which party is second on 17% in the interim results?
- How many seats is the AfD heading for, and how many make a majority?
- What was the reported turnout in Saxony-Anhalt?
- Which broadcaster dropped Tatort to cover the result?
Grammar focus
Adding emphasis - inversion with negative adverbials
Use inversion after negative or limiting adverbials (Never, Rarely, Seldom, Hardly ever, Not since...). Put the auxiliary before the subject: auxiliary + subject + main verb. (Examples constructed.)
- Not since World War Two **has a far-right party governed** a German state.
- Rarely **have other parties accepted** any coalition with the AfD.
Grammar exercise
Circle the correct option in each sentence.
- Never (has the AfD / the AfD has) had such a lead.
- Seldom (officials have / have officials) welcomed the result.
- Not since then (the AfD had / had the AfD) governed a state.
- Hardly ever (do voters / voters do) change their view so quickly.
- Rarely (parties have / have parties) agreed to a coalition with them.
Discussion
- Should other parties keep a firewall against the AfD?
- What factors might explain the AfD’s strength in Saxony-Anhalt?
- Do reactions from abroad influence voters, or are they ignored?
- Is high turnout always good for democracy? Why or why not?
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