Story perspectives

AfD poised to win Saxony-Anhalt, first majority since 1945

8/19/2026

Summary

AfD Near Majority

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) could win a majority in Saxony-Anhalt on Sept. 6, enabling its first state government since 1945.
Projections also show the AfD winning in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Sept. 20 and performing strongly in Berlin.
A Saxony-Anhalt win would give the AfD Bundesrat seats.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) faces pressure to step down this fall as some CDU members debate cooperating with the AfD, weakening the traditional firewall.

Summary

Jurists Urge Ban

More than 1,000 jurists urged filing an AfD ban request based on a GFF report with 2,500 evidences.
The Karlsruhe Constitutional Court alone can declare a party unconstitutional, can cut funding for up to six years, and a ban request needs only a simple Bundestag majority.
Only two parties—the Socialist Reich Party (1952) and Communist Party (1956)—have been banned, and a 2017 NPD ban failed.

History

Historical Context

In 2003, Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court rejected a bid to outlaw the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD) by a 2-1 vote. The ruling, issued by judges including Hans-Jürgen Papier, preserved the NPD’s €1.2 million annual funding and kept its Bundestag-eligible status. Today, over 1,000 jurists cite that precedent while urging the Karlsruhe Constitutional Court to consider a similar ban on the Alternative for Germany (AfD). If the court follows the 2003 decision, the AfD could lose federal funding and Bundesrat representation, reshaping Germany’s post-war party system.

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AfD Near Majority

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) could win a majority in Saxony-Anhalt on Sept. 6, enabling its first state government since 1945.
Projections also show the AfD winning in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Sept. 20 and performing strongly in Berlin.
A Saxony-Anhalt win would give the AfD Bundesrat seats.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) faces pressure to step down this fall as some CDU members debate cooperating with the AfD, weakening the traditional firewall.

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