Germany's chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said he was "deeply shocked" by his party, the Christian Democratic Union, losing to the far-right in eastern Germany. After partial vote counting, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) won the election to govern Saxony-Anhalt with about 44% of the votes, having twice as many votes as the second place, Merz's conservative party.
Since it did not achieve an absolute majority, the AfD would need to form a coalition with smaller parties to be able to govern. If this happens, it will be the first far-right government in a German state since the Nazi regime.
Ulrich Siegmund, the party's state leader who is expected to take over the regional government if the coalition is formed, has already spoken about deporting foreigners held in the country for humanitarian reasons.
Merz admitted that the episode represents the most severe defeat in years or decades for his party, which governs the country and until then controlled the regional administration.
