[The far-right party takes a significant lead in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt in the election] September 7th, the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt (Saxony-Anhalt) held a state parliamentary election on September 6th. The latest exit polls showed that the far-right Alternative for Germany party won 44.5% of the vote, a sharp jump from 20.8% in 2021. German Chancellor Mertz's Christian Democratic Union's vote share plummeted to 18.5% from 37.1% in 2021. This is a setback for the CDU, which has governed the state since 2002. The first round of seat predictions shows that the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament has a total of 83 seats, and the Alternative for Germany is expected to win 39 seats, which is 3 seats short of the absolute majority required to govern alone. Since other traditional mainstream political parties in Germany have previously ruled out the possibility of joining the governing coalition led by the Alternative for Germany, if the current seat pattern is finally confirmed, there is still great uncertainty about whether the party can enter the state government even if it becomes the largest party in the state parliament. The Alternative for Germany stated that it would extend a cooperative hand to "all active forces who want to implement better policies" and emphasized that issues such as immigration and domestic security are non-negotiable bottom lines. Party leader Weidel said the party has a "clear mandate to govern" and will engage in dialogue with any rational party that can find consensus on policy positions. German Deputy Chancellor and Finance Minister Klingbeyer, co-chairman of the Social Democratic Party in coalition with the CDU, said that the Saxony-Anhalt election results were a warning to the federal government and worthy of the federal government reflecting on its policies. This month, the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern will also hold local elections, and the Alternative for Germany also ranks first in the polls. (CCTV International News)