AfD election victory in Germany dominates international headlines

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD)’s projected victory in Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt state election has drawn widespread attention from international media, with major outlets across the US, Britain, France, Germany and Qatar highlighting the party’s strong performance as a significant development in German politics.

According to exit polls, the AfD received 44.5% of the vote in an election in which around 1.7 million voters were eligible to cast ballots.

International media outlets reported the development as breaking news.

US

In a post on social media, US-based Bloomberg said the AfD had won as “public discontent continues to grow.”

In a report headlined "German Far Right Set to Win State Vote, Short of Majority," Bloomberg noted that the AfD was not expected to secure an absolute majority and therefore would not be able to form a government on its own.

"Germany's far-right AfD projected to win the eastern state, but unclear if it will be able to govern," CNN used as a headline.

The report noted that the outcome would not necessarily enable the party to govern.

The New York Times also reported that the AfD was projected to win the election, while noting that it remained unclear whether the party would secure a majority.

The Wall Street Journal described an AfD victory as potentially a “historic victory.”

UK

The BBC said in a social media post that the AfD was projected to win the election with at least 44% of the vote.

In its report, the broadcaster described the result as a “major victory” for the AfD.

The Financial Times covered the development under the headline "Far-Right AfD Surges in German State Elections, Partial Results Show."

Sky News reported on social media that the AfD was expected to win the election with 44.5% of the vote.

The Telegraph described the AfD’s win as a “major victory.”

Its report said the party was close to securing an absolute majority and was projected to win 39 seats instead of the 42 seats needed in the state parliament.

"Anti-migrant AfD hails history-making election win," the Telegraph used as the headline to announce the results.

France

The French AFP news agency described the AfD’s first-place finish in a social media post as a “landslide victory.”

Qatar

Qatar-based Al Jazeera highlighted in a social media post that the AfD’s victory would mark the first time since World War II that a far-right party had won a state election in Germany.