{"id":97933,"date":"2026-09-07T03:29:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T03:29:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T03:29:48","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T03:29:48","slug":"afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/","title":{"rendered":"AfD wins big in German regional election, falls short of bid to become first far-right party to lead a state since WWII"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>The far-right Alternative for Germany party surged to a resounding victory in a <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/afd-germany-saxony-anhalt-election-europe-far-right\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">regional election Sunday<\/a><\/span>, but fell a little short of winning a majority in its quest to form the country&#8217;s first far-right state government since World War II.<\/p>\n<p>The party of Germany&#8217;s unpopular leader, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, slumped to a disastrous result in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt. The anti-migration and Russia-friendly Alternative for Germany&#8217;s candidate for governor said that &#8220;we have written history&#8221; and the party had a clear mandate to govern.<\/p>\n<p>Ulrich Siegmund, 35, told public broadcaster ARD that voters had sent a signal that &#8220;things cannot carry on like this.&#8221; He said that &#8220;a very good campaigner for us in this election campaign was Friedrich Merz.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Alternative for Germany, or AfD, was seeking an absolute majority in the state legislature to govern alone and overcome the so-called firewall of mainstream parties&#8217; refusal to work with AfD.<\/p>\n<p>Final results showed AfD falling three seats short, with 39 lawmakers in an 83-member parliament. Siegmund said it wouldn&#8217;t engage in &#8220;games&#8221; such as a minority government. But it wasn&#8217;t evident how its divided opponents could assemble any stable government without it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed__float-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\" data-ads=\"{\" extrawordcount=\"\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/620x414\/461463a192be436920bb5462a0ef78e5\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg#\" alt=\"Saxony-Anhalt Holds State Elections \" height=\"414\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/620x414\/461463a192be436920bb5462a0ef78e5\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1240x828\/a64e881ab160fe026575737d66212c42\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Ulrich Siegmund, lead candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany, celebrates a first exit poll win for AfD at the Messe trade fair halls following state elections in Saxony-Anhalt on September 6, 2026, in Magdeburg, Germany.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                Omer Messinger \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>A first state government would be the biggest prize in the anti-migration party&#8217;s 13-year history, at a time of widespread discontent with a national government that has yet to persuade voters that it can get the country&#8217;s sluggish economy moving. <\/p>\n<p>Whether or not AfD ends up governing, the result is a blow to Merz, whose center-right party has led Saxony-Anhalt for 24 years. <\/p>\n<p>Unlike other countries in Europe, modern Germany hasn&#8217;t yet had a far-right or right-wing populist party leading a national, state or major-city government.<\/p>\n<p>AfD is the biggest opposition party in Germany&#8217;s national parliament and is strongest in the formerly communist and less prosperous east, where Saxony-Anhalt is located. <\/p>\n<p>Its regional branch in Saxony-Anhalt is one of several classified as a proven right-wing extremist group by the domestic intelligence agency, which points to members&#8217; denigration of migrants from Muslim countries, among other things. <\/p>\n<p>The party talks of &#8220;remigration,&#8221; a politically charged term for the deportation of immigrants. Its leader in a neighboring state appealed two convictions for knowingly using a Nazi slogan.<\/p>\n<p>AfD vehemently rejects accusations of extremism and says they&#8217;re politically motivated.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed__float-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\" data-ads=\"{\" extrawordcount=\"\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/7bc2dcbe-77fd-469b-a126-ba4984acf725\/thumbnail\/620x413\/91291f9a96cbcda2e991e9f11c60726f\/gettyimages-2293393064.jpg#\" alt=\"State Election in Saxony-Anhalt - Demonstration in Hamburg \" height=\"413\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/7bc2dcbe-77fd-469b-a126-ba4984acf725\/thumbnail\/620x413\/91291f9a96cbcda2e991e9f11c60726f\/gettyimages-2293393064.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/7bc2dcbe-77fd-469b-a126-ba4984acf725\/thumbnail\/1240x826\/f902711bd86a1177f42f7909ac7971eb\/gettyimages-2293393064.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">People demonstrate at a rally organized by the Hamburg Alliance Against the Far Right ahead of the state election in Saxony-Anhalt on Sept. 6, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                Marcus Golejewski\/picture alliance via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>AfD won 43.8% of the vote, more than double its showing five years ago in the region of 2.1 million people west of Berlin.<\/p>\n<p>That was far ahead of Merz&#8217;s Christian Democratic Union, which polled 17.2% \u2014 losing about half its support \u2014 and won 15 seats. The center-left Social Democrats polled 9.3%, the Greens 8.9% and the Left Party 8.6%, winning eight seats apiece. <\/p>\n<p>The BSW party, which has said it wouldn&#8217;t elect either Siegmund or incumbent Sven Schulze as governor but criticizes the &#8220;firewall&#8221; against AfD, took 5.3% and five seats.<\/p>\n<p>Turnout was very high at 77.8%. AfD appeared to have won over many people who didn&#8217;t vote at all five years ago.<\/p>\n<p>AfD&#8217;s national co-leader, Alice Weidel, described the result as &#8220;sensational.&#8221; She said the party&#8217;s &#8220;hand is outstretched to all who want to make Saxony-Anhalt better and move Germany forward.&#8221; It may hope to attract defectors from other parties.<\/p>\n<p>Schulze congratulated AfD on becoming the state&#8217;s strongest political force and said that &#8220;we as the CDU will also have to deal with this result,&#8221; without specifying how. <\/p>\n<p>Franziska Hoppermann, the national general secretary of Merz&#8217;s party, rejected backing off its refusal to deal with AfD. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;AfD is a right-wing extremist party. It wants to leave the euro; that would be economic downfall &#8230; it works closely together with Russia, it wants a completely different social model,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We will not work with them.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed__float-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\" data-ads=\"{\" extrawordcount=\"\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/53a7dac8-e599-42e4-a794-65dc4052bde2\/thumbnail\/620x413\/73cf9d701471cb633cefe48c04282488\/gettyimages-2293373110.jpg#\" alt=\"Saxony-Anhalt State Election In Germany \" height=\"413\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/53a7dac8-e599-42e4-a794-65dc4052bde2\/thumbnail\/620x413\/73cf9d701471cb633cefe48c04282488\/gettyimages-2293373110.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/53a7dac8-e599-42e4-a794-65dc4052bde2\/thumbnail\/1240x826\/597c77a3a3c044149e43978e778f8611\/gettyimages-2293373110.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Alternative for Germany (AfD) party members and candidates celebrate at the party headquarters following an exit poll release during Saxony-Anhalt regional elections, in Magdeburg, Germany, on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                Krisztian Bocsi \/ Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Once previously <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/germany-election-results-2024-thuringia-afd-fear-as-far-right-rise-in-east\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">AfD won a state election<\/a><\/span> but didn&#8217;t end up governing. That was two years ago in neighboring Thuringia, where a CDU governor took power with a minority government, but AfD was much further short of a majority there.<\/p>\n<p>Any attempt by Schulze to put together an alliance against AfD would be delicate because it would require at least some tacit support from the Left Party, a hard-left party with which the CDU refuses to form coalitions.<\/p>\n<p>Germany&#8217;s 16 states have extensive powers, for example in overseeing security matters and running the education system.<\/p>\n<p>Siegmund has listed among his top priorities &#8220;a deportation offensive&#8221; and dropping incentives for people to come to Germany and &#8220;exploit our social system.&#8221; He wants to initiate a long process to withdraw Saxony-Anhalt from the regional public broadcaster, citing concerns about &#8220;disinformation.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>AfD in Saxony-Anhalt wants to allow home schooling, which so far isn&#8217;t permitted in Germany. It pledges to ban schools from officially raising the rainbow flag, which it says &#8220;stands for the devaluation of the family,&#8221; and ensure they fly the national flag. <\/p>\n<p>It opposes taxpayers&#8217; money being &#8220;given away&#8221; to Ukraine and says it would push to lift sanctions against Russia, but that isn&#8217;t a matter state governments can decide.<\/p>\n<p>The 16 states&#8217; governments also sit in Germany&#8217;s upper house of parliament, which has to approve some government legislation. The influence there of Saxony-Anhalt, one of the smaller states in a nation of 83.5 people, is limited \u2014 it controls four of the 69 votes.<\/p>\n<section class=\"content__body--footer\">\n<\/section>\n<p>  <!-- data-recirc-source=\"queryly\" --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"component list recirculation component--type-recirculation  \">\n        <\/aside>\n<section class=\"content__body--footer\">\n      <!-- tags --><\/p>\n<section class=\"content__tags\">\n<p class=\"content__tags__label\">In:<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/afd-german-election-saxony-anhalt\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The far-right Alternative for Germany party surged to a resounding victory in a regional election Sunday, but fell a little<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":97934,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[7289,763,368,158],"class_list":["post-97933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-friedrich-merz","tag-germany","tag-immigration","tag-politics"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>AfD wins big in German regional election, falls short of bid to become first far-right party to lead a state since WWII - World News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"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&amp;#039; refusal to work with AfD.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AfD wins big in German regional election, falls short of bid to become first far-right party to lead a state since WWII - World News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"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&amp;#039; refusal to work with AfD.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"World News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-07T03:29:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg\" \/><meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"998\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"News\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/person\/1d8ae7348e048cb7984f26b4dd818ff2\"},\"headline\":\"AfD wins big in German regional election, falls short of bid to become first far-right party to lead a state since WWII\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-07T03:29:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-07T03:29:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/\"},\"wordCount\":979,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"Friedrich Merz\",\"Germany\",\"Immigration\",\"Politics\"],\"articleSection\":[\"World\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/\",\"name\":\"AfD wins big in German regional election, falls short of bid to become first far-right party to lead a state since WWII - World News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-07T03:29:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-07T03:29:48+00:00\",\"description\":\"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&amp;#039; refusal to work with AfD.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"AfD wins big in German regional election, falls short of bid to become first far-right party to lead a state since WWII\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/\",\"name\":\"World News\",\"description\":\"World News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization\",\"name\":\"World News\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/01\/cropped-download.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/01\/cropped-download.png\",\"width\":581,\"height\":581,\"caption\":\"World News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/person\/1d8ae7348e048cb7984f26b4dd818ff2\",\"name\":\"News\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"AfD wins big in German regional election, falls short of bid to become first far-right party to lead a state since WWII - World News","description":"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&amp;#039; refusal to work with AfD.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"AfD wins big in German regional election, falls short of bid to become first far-right party to lead a state since WWII - World News","og_description":"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&amp;#039; refusal to work with AfD.","og_url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/","og_site_name":"World News","article_published_time":"2026-09-07T03:29:48+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""},{"url":"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg","width":1920,"height":998,"type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"News","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/"},"author":{"name":"News","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/person\/1d8ae7348e048cb7984f26b4dd818ff2"},"headline":"AfD wins big in German regional election, falls short of bid to become first far-right party to lead a state since WWII","datePublished":"2026-09-07T03:29:48+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-07T03:29:48+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/"},"wordCount":979,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1","keywords":["Friedrich Merz","Germany","Immigration","Politics"],"articleSection":["World"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/","name":"AfD wins big in German regional election, falls short of bid to become first far-right party to lead a state since WWII - World News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1","datePublished":"2026-09-07T03:29:48+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-07T03:29:48+00:00","description":"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&amp;#039; refusal to work with AfD.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/afd-wins-big-in-german-regional-election-falls-short-of-bid-to-become-first-far-right-party-to-lead-a-state-since-wwii\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"AfD wins big in German regional election, falls short of bid to become first far-right party to lead a state since WWII"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/","name":"World News","description":"World News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization","name":"World News","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/01\/cropped-download.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/01\/cropped-download.png","width":581,"height":581,"caption":"World News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/person\/1d8ae7348e048cb7984f26b4dd818ff2","name":"News","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1","medium":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1","medium_large":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=768&resize=768,0&ssl=1","large":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=1024&resize=1024,1024&ssl=1","1536x1536":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=1536&resize=1536,1536&ssl=1","2048x2048":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=2048&resize=2048,2048&ssl=1","colormag-highlighted-post":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=392&resize=392,272&ssl=1","colormag-featured-post-medium":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=390&resize=390,205&ssl=1","colormag-featured-post-small":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=130&resize=130,90&ssl=1","colormag-featured-image":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=800&resize=800,445&ssl=1","colormag-default-news":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1","colormag-featured-image-large":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=1400&resize=1400,600&ssl=1","colormag-elementor-block-extra-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=1155&resize=1155,480&ssl=1","colormag-elementor-grid-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=600&resize=600,417&ssl=1","colormag-elementor-grid-small-thumbnail":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=285&resize=285,450&ssl=1","colormag-elementor-grid-medium-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=575&resize=575,198&ssl=1"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"News","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e85cf08852547781a5f631f3713dbb5197ed4b54e32ae19c7d5769b8c8504897?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":false,"magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"The far-right Alternative for Germany party surged to a resounding victory in a regional election Sunday, but fell a little","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["World"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":2,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":5,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1",1200,630,false],"medium":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1",300,300,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/09\/07\/d68dd465-2944-4485-9714-b2cead550987\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/4e5557f0513fea2fd56bc23d2a47a06c\/gettyimages-2293477750.jpg?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1",150,150,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"News","author_link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/author\/admin\/"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e85cf08852547781a5f631f3713dbb5197ed4b54e32ae19c7d5769b8c8504897?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-35\">World<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}