German State Just Produced a 39-39 Tie With the Far Right

Saxony-Anhalt’s September 6 election delivered an unusual deadlock: the far-right AfD and a governing exclusion bloc ended with 39 seats each in a parliament of 83. The AfD won 43.8% of the preliminary official vote, its biggest share in any German state election since 1945, translating to 39 seats. The Christian Democrats dropped to 17.2% and lost 25 seats, falling to 15; the Social Democrats, Greens and Die Linke each won eight. With AfD holding 39 and the others also totaling 39, neither side can reach the 42-seat majority needed. The five-seat Bundnis Sahra Wagenknecht could be decisive. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin vote on September 20 as the standoff raises questions about future coalition tactics in Germany’s east.