The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has surged to first place in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, winning 44% of the vote. But the anti-immigrant, pro-Russian party fell three seats short of an absolute majority,

The "extraordinary" result may be the "most consequential German state-election result of the postwar era," according to analysts.

Alternative for Germany failed to secure an absolute majority in the state legislature to govern alone and overcome the so-called firewall of mainstream parties' refusal to work with AfD.

The far-right party won 44 percent of the vote in elections in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

By Maria Martinez BERLIN, Sept 8 (Reuters) - The far-right's historic election victory in a German state election has reopened divisions in Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government, with calls by his Social Democrat coalition partners for planned economic and social reforms to be softened.

BERLIN (AP) — Alternative for Germany, or AfD, has established itself as a significant political force in the 13 years since its founding, but it has never been part of any state or federal government. That’s a result of what is often called a “firewall” against cooperation with the anti-immigrant, far-right party.

The AfD may not end up controlling Germany's Saxony-Anhalt state despite a landslide election victory, but the far-right party's "dream result" sends a clear message.

Die AfD hat die Landtagswahl in Sachsen-Anhalt mit großem Vorsprung gewonnen. Kann das Folgen für die Wirtschaft haben? Die Ostbeauftragte Kaiser äußert sich dazu.

The premier of Germany's most populous state is calling for a ban on the Alternative for Germany (AfD) to be examined, days after the far-right earned a resounding victory in Saxony-Anhalt. Hendrik