AfD struggles to form government in Germany despite landmark election victory

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) convened the first sitting of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament on Tuesday, a month after its landmark election win, but still lacks a clear path to forming its first state government. The party fell three seats short of an absolute majority and has failed to secure coalition partners due to the mainstream 'firewall' policy. A symbolic victory came as AfD member Tobias Rausch was elected state parliament president with BSW support. About 400 protesters gathered peacefully outside, reading Germany's constitution aloud.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) convened the first sitting of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament on Tuesday, a month after its landmark election win on September 6, but the party still lacks a clear path to forming its first state government. Despite winning the vote in the eastern German state, the AfD fell three seats short of the absolute majority that candidate Ulrich Siegmund had aimed for. Siegmund said before Tuesday's sitting that he aimed to win parliamentary backing to become state premier in a first round of voting that would only take place in December, giving him more time to build support. He did not elaborate. The party has so far failed to secure enough support from potential partners or publicly win over defectors from rivals, leading to a stalemate. The impasse underlines a challenge that has dogged the AfD for years: translating growing electoral support into executive power in a political system where mainstream parties have refused to cooperate with it under the 'firewall' policy. About 400 protesters gathered peacefully outside the state parliament in Magdeburg and read aloud Germany's constitution. Tuesday's inaugural sitting nevertheless offered the AfD a symbolic victory. Tobias Rausch, a 35-year-old real estate entrepreneur and Siegmund confidant, was elected president of the state parliament with support from the left-wing populist BSW, becoming the first AfD member to hold one of the highest offices in a German state legislature. The AfD's success in Saxony-Anhalt and two other state elections in September has put Chancellor Friedrich Merz's struggling government under pressure. The BSW, which opposes mass immigration and wants to restore energy ties with Russia, has said it would abstain in any vote for Siegmund as state premier, potentially enabling a minority government.