Germany’s far-right AfD set for big win in eastern state, just short of majority

Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD) is heading for a big victory in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, far ahead of its mainstream rivals, according to incomplete results.
Projections indicate it is set to fall short of a majority, but the AfD says it has won a mandate to govern.
The far-right AfD is set to win a record 44% of the vote, well ahead of the conservative CDU on just over 17%.
The AfD’s charismatic leader in the state, Ulrich Siegmund, said it was “sensational” and they wanted to start governing as soon as possible.
No far-right party has won control of a German state since World War Two, and governing at state level would mean powers over policing, local education and culture.
Saxony-Anhalt has a small population of 2.1 million and the AfD in the state is assessed by domestic intelligence as “right-wing extremist”, a classification rejected by Siegmund.