Germany’s far right is three seats from state power

Germany's far-right AFD is now just three seats short of a majority in one state

and the question now is whether they can find the support to govern

Alternative for Germany finished first in Saxony-Anhalt Sunday, taking nearly 44% of the vote and 39 of 83 seats in the state parliament

It needs 42 for a majority. So now the focus turns to whether the AFD can find a partner

or enough support from other lawmakers to form a government. If it does, Germany could get its

first far-right-led state government since World War II. The result was also a major defeat for

Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union. Merz says his party was deeply shocked

but that he still plans to move forward with economic reforms despite their unpopularity

He also reaffirmed Germany's support for Ukraine and said the country's institutions remain stable

The AFD campaigns for tougher immigration policies and takes a more Russia-friendly

approach than Germany's mainstream parties. Germany's Domestic Intelligence Agency has classified the party's Saxony-Anhalt branch as right-wing extremists. Germany's major

parties have spent years refusing to govern with the AFD