Saxony-Anhalt, Germany State election 2026 (Landtagswahl in Sachsen-Anhalt) — Results

What happened on 6 September

Saxony-Anhalt (Sachsen-Anhalt) elected its ninth Landtag on Sunday 6 September 2026, and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) finished first with 43.79% of the party vote — the first time the party has topped the poll at a German state election. It more than doubled its 2021 score of 20.8%. The Christian Democrats (CDU), who had led every government in the state since 2002 and won 37.1% five years earlier, fell to 17.23%, a collapse of almost twenty points that left them 26.6 points behind. Turnout rose to 77.80%, from 60.3% in 2021.

The AfD took 39 of the 83 seats — three short of the 42 needed for a majority. Every other party had ruled out governing with it before polling day, so the arithmetic of forming any government at all became the story of the night. The CDU (15), SPD (8), Greens (8), Die Linke (8) and BSW (5) hold 44 between them — and that is the only majority available without the AfD, because it takes all five of them. Any four fall short: the CDU plus the three largest of the others reaches 39, three seats under the line. The AfD together with the BSW also reaches 44, and in the days after the vote the BSW was the only party to accept the AfD's invitation to exploratory talks. The first vote was starker still. The AfD won 38 of the 41 constituencies outright; Die Linke held the other three, in Halle and Magdeburg, and the CDU won none at all.

This was the first of three German state elections in the autumn of 2026 — Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern follow on 20 September — and the first electoral test of the federal coalition Friedrich Merz formed in 2025. Both of its parties lost ground here: the CDU catastrophically, the SPD holding roughly level at 9.30% only because it had already fallen so far in 2021.

How Saxony-Anhalt elects its Landtag

The system is mixed-member proportional, the same family as the federal Bundestag election but run at state level. Each voter has two votes. The first vote (Erststimme) elects one member in each of the state's 41 constituencies (Wahlkreise) by simple plurality. The second vote (Zweitstimme) is cast for a party's state list, and it is the decisive one: the seats are shared out proportionally among the parties that clear 5% of the second vote, using the Hare/Niemeyer method, with the constituency winners taking up part of each party's entitlement and list candidates filling the rest.

The Landtag has a nominal 83 members, but the total rises when a party wins more constituencies than its proportional entitlement: those overhang seats are then balanced by levelling seats for the others. That is how the parliament elected in 2021 came to have 97 members rather than 83. The figures on this page are the second vote, because that is the number that decides the composition of the chamber.

The parties on the ballot and who leads them

The state electoral committee admitted 15 party lists on 24 July 2026. Eight of them are shown separately on this page — the six that sat in the outgoing Landtag, plus the two newcomers with a realistic claim on the 5% threshold — and the remaining lists are grouped as "Others".

The CDU went into this election with a new leader. Reiner Haseloff, minister-president since 2011, announced in August 2025 that he would not stand again; the party's state chairman Sven Schulze, economics minister from 2021 to 2025, was chosen as lead candidate in November 2025 with 90.09% and took over as minister-president in January 2026. The AfD is led by Ulrich Siegmund, a member of the Landtag since 2016 and co-leader of its parliamentary group, selected in May 2025 with 98.3% of delegates; the state branch has been classified as "confirmed right-wing extremist" by Saxony-Anhalt's domestic intelligence service since 2023. Die Linke is again led by Eva von Angern, who headed the list in 2021 when the party recorded its worst result in the state. The SPD's lead candidate is Armin Willingmann, minister for science, energy and the environment and first deputy minister-president; the FDP's is the state chairwoman and infrastructure minister Lydia Hüskens; the Greens are led by Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) contests a Saxony-Anhalt state election for the first time, with Claudia Wittig and Thomas Schulze as a joint ticket — the party took 11.3% in the state at the 2025 federal election. The Freie Wähler, on 3.1% in 2021, stood again and finished on 1.17%.

Where the campaign stood at the close

In 2021 the CDU won 37.1% of the second vote, well ahead of the AfD on 20.8%, with Die Linke on 11.0%, the SPD on 8.4%, the FDP on 6.4% and the Greens on 5.9%. Because a CDU–SPD coalition would have held only 49 of 97 seats, Haseloff formed a three-party "Germany coalition" with the SPD and the FDP, which governed with 56 seats.

Five years later the polls described a different state, and this time they were close to right. The last survey before polling day, by the Forschungsgruppe Wahlen on 3 September, put the AfD on 41%, the CDU on 23%, Die Linke on 11.5%, the SPD on 8.5%, the Greens on 6%, the BSW on 4%, the FDP on 3% and the rest on 3%. INSA, a day earlier, had the AfD on 43% and the CDU on 22%. Two of the outgoing coalition's three parties — the FDP and, on some numbers, the Greens — were polling below the 5% threshold, which would strip them out of the chamber altogether and concentrate the remaining seats among fewer parties. Saxony-Anhalt's 2021 election is the standing reminder that polls are not results — a "neck-and-neck race" between CDU and AfD was widely predicted and the CDU finished sixteen points ahead — but in 2026 the pollsters had it: the AfD came in at 43.79%, at the top of the 41–43% range they had shown all month, and the CDU at 17.23% against the 22–23% they gave it. The error this time was in the CDU's favour.

How the night unfolded, and where these figures come from

Counting began when the polling stations closed at 18:00 local time, and the Landeswahlleiterin published running totals from 18:30 onwards, polling district by polling district, until the provisional state result was complete at 03:21 on 7 September. ElectioMap read that same official open-data file directly through the night and republished it here as it moved, so this page tracked the source rather than a broadcaster's projection. No exit poll, forecast or seat projection appeared on it at any point.

The shape of the count is worth knowing, because it explains figures that circulated early in the evening. Saxony-Anhalt's smallest rural polling districts finish first, and they are the AfD's strongest ground. In the very first publication — twelve districts out of 2,660, 1,174 valid votes — the AfD stood at 59.88%. That number was correct for those twelve districts and told you almost nothing about the state. It fell to 53% by the time 445 districts were in, below 50% at the halfway mark, and settled at 43.79% when Halle and Magdeburg finally reported. Any conclusion drawn from the early figures would have been wrong by sixteen points.

For that reason this page published vote shares and turnout throughout, each captioned with how much of the count they rested on, but never named a leading party until every district had reported. Vote shares and turnout are measurements of ballots actually counted; a strongest party declared mid-count is a projection.

The figures above are the certified result, determined by the Landeswahlausschuss on 22 September 2026 — vote shares and seats unchanged from the provisional count, only absolute vote totals and turnout moving slightly as the district committees completed their checks. The seat distribution is the returning officer's own, not a calculation of ours — allocating the Landtag means running Hare/Niemeyer over the parties above 5% and then working out any overhang and levelling seats, and this time it came out at the nominal 83 rather than the inflated 97 of the outgoing parliament.

Reading the district map

The map divides Saxony-Anhalt into its 14 districts — the three urban districts of Magdeburg, Halle (Saale) and Dessau-Roßlau, and eleven rural Landkreise from the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel in the north to the Burgenlandkreis in the south — and colours each by the party that won the second vote there. The AfD won all fourteen. Click any district for its full party breakdown and its turnout. The gradient is the story: 51.85% in Mansfeld-Südharz and 51.04% in the Burgenlandkreis, both former mining and chemical areas, against 29.86% in Halle (Saale) and 32.60% in Magdeburg. The state is one of the most useful places in Germany to read this geography: it contains both the old chemical and industrial belt around Halle, Bitterfeld and Leuna and some of the emptiest rural country in the east, and the two have moved apart at every election since 2016.

Landtagswahl in Sachsen-Anhalt 2026 — das Wichtigste in Kürze

Am Sonntag, dem 6. September 2026, hat Sachsen-Anhalt den neunten Landtag gewählt. Die AfD wurde mit 43,79 % der Zweitstimmen erstmals stärkste Kraft bei einer Landtagswahl in Deutschland und erhält 39 der 83 Sitze — drei weniger als für eine Mehrheit nötig; die einzige Mehrheit ohne sie umfasst alle fünf übrigen Parteien (zusammen 44 Sitze). Die CDU, die das Land seit 2002 regierte, fiel von 37,1 % auf 17,23 % und von 40 auf 15 Sitze; sie gewann keinen einzigen der 41 Wahlkreise, die AfD dagegen 38, die Linke drei. Es folgen SPD 9,30 % (8 Sitze), Grüne 8,93 % (8), Linke 8,56 % (8) und das erstmals angetretene BSW 5,27 % (5); FDP (2,58 %) und Freie Wähler (1,17 %) scheiterten an der Fünfprozenthürde. Die Wahlbeteiligung stieg von 60,3 % auf 77,80 %. Es war die erste von drei Landtagswahlen des Herbstes 2026 — Berlin und Mecklenburg-Vorpommern folgen am 20. September.

Gewählt wird mit zwei Stimmen: Mit der Erststimme wird in jedem der 41 Wahlkreise ein Abgeordneter direkt gewählt, mit der Zweitstimme eine Landesliste. Maßgeblich für die Sitzverteilung ist die Zweitstimme. Die Sitze werden nach dem Hare/Niemeyer-Verfahren unter den Parteien verteilt, die mindestens 5 % der Zweitstimmen erreichen. Der Landtag hat mindestens 83 Sitze; durch Überhang- und Ausgleichsmandate waren es in der ablaufenden Wahlperiode 97, diesmal blieb es bei 83. Der Landeswahlausschuss hat am 24. Juli 2026 fünfzehn Landeslisten zugelassen.

2021 wurde die CDU mit 37,1 % stärkste Kraft, vor der AfD mit 20,8 %, der Linken mit 11,0 %, der SPD mit 8,4 %, der FDP mit 6,4 % und den Grünen mit 5,9 %. Reiner Haseloff bildete eine „Deutschland-Koalition" aus CDU, SPD und FDP mit 56 von 97 Sitzen. Haseloff tritt nicht erneut an; Spitzenkandidat der CDU und seit Januar 2026 Ministerpräsident ist Sven Schulze. Für die AfD tritt Ulrich Siegmund an, für die Linke Eva von Angern, für die SPD Armin Willingmann, für die FDP Lydia Hüskens, für die Grünen Susan Sziborra-Seidlitz und für das erstmals antretende BSW das Duo Claudia Wittig und Thomas Schulze. Die letzten Umfragen vor der Wahl sahen die AfD bei 41 bis 43 % und die CDU bei 22 bis 23 %.

Auf dieser Seite erscheinen die Ergebnisse live aus der offiziellen Veröffentlichung der Landeswahlleiterin, sobald die Auszählung nach 18 Uhr beginnt. Die Auszählung begann um 18 Uhr, ab 18:30 Uhr veröffentlichte die Landeswahlleiterin laufend Zwischenstände, und um 03:21 Uhr am 7. September lag das vorläufige Ergebnis für alle 2.660 Wahlbezirke vor. ElectioMap las währenddessen dieselbe amtliche Datei und gab sie hier unverändert weiter — keine Prognose, keine Hochrechnung. Stimmenanteile und Wahlbeteiligung wurden von Anfang an gezeigt, jeweils mit der Angabe, auf wie vielen ausgezählten Wahlbezirken sie beruhen; die stärkste Partei dagegen erst nach Abschluss der Auszählung, weil das keine Messung, sondern eine Hochrechnung gewesen wäre. Der Grund war an diesem Abend gut zu sehen: In der ersten Veröffentlichung mit zwölf von 2.660 Wahlbezirken lag die AfD bei 59,88 %, bei der Hälfte des Landes unter 50 %, und am Ende bei 43,79 % — die kleinen ländlichen Wahlbezirke zählen zuerst aus und wählen deutlich anders als Halle und Magdeburg. Die Sitzverteilung stammt von der Landeswahlleiterin selbst; das endgültige Ergebnis der Zweitstimmen hat der Landeswahlausschuss am 22. September 2026 festgestellt — Anteile und Sitze unverändert, nur die absoluten Stimmenzahlen und die Wahlbeteiligung haben sich geringfügig verschoben.

Die Karte zeigt die 14 Kreise Sachsen-Anhalts — die kreisfreien Städte Magdeburg, Halle (Saale) und Dessau-Roßlau sowie elf Landkreise — jeweils eingefärbt nach der bei den Zweitstimmen führenden Partei. Ein Klick auf einen Kreis zeigt die vollständige Aufteilung und, sobald dort fertig ausgezählt ist, die Wahlbeteiligung.

Where the data comes from

Die Landeswahlleiterin des Landes Sachsen-Anhalt and the Statistisches Landesamt — the official results publication at wahlergebnisse.sachsen-anhalt.de, read from its own open-data file rather than scraped from the page.

Frequently asked questions

What was the result of the Saxony-Anhalt state election?

The AfD won 43.79% of the second vote and 39 of the 83 seats, ahead of the CDU on 17.23% and 15 seats, the SPD on 9.30% and 8, the Greens on 8.93% and 8, Die Linke on 8.56% and 8, and the BSW on 5.27% and 5. The FDP (2.58%) and Freie Wähler (1.17%) missed the 5% threshold. Turnout was 77.80%. These are the certified figures determined by the Landeswahlausschuss on 22 September 2026.

Did the AfD win a majority?

No. It won 39 of 83 seats, three short of the 42 needed. Two combinations reach a majority and both come to 44: the AfD with the BSW (5 seats), or all five other parties together — CDU (15), SPD (8), Greens (8), Die Linke (8) and BSW (5). Drop any one of those five and the bloc falls short; the CDU with the three largest of the others reaches only 39. The CDU, SPD, Greens and Die Linke turned down the AfD's invitation to exploratory talks; the BSW accepted it on 9 September. It is the first time the AfD has finished first in a German state election.

What is being elected?

The ninth Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt, which elects the minister-president and sits until 2031. It has a nominal 83 seats, rising when overhang and levelling seats are needed — the outgoing parliament had 97, this one came out at the nominal 83.

How does the voting system work?

Mixed-member proportional. Each voter has two votes: a first vote (Erststimme) electing one member in each of the 41 constituencies by simple plurality, and a second vote (Zweitstimme) for a party's state list. The second vote is decisive — seats are shared out proportionally by the Hare/Niemeyer method among the parties clearing 5%, with constituency winners filling part of each party's entitlement. The figures on this page are the second vote.

What happened at the last election, in 2021?

The CDU won 37.1% of the second vote, ahead of the AfD on 20.8%, Die Linke on 11.0%, the SPD on 8.4%, the FDP on 6.4% and the Greens on 5.9%. Reiner Haseloff formed a "Germany coalition" of CDU, SPD and FDP holding 56 of the 97 seats. Haseloff is not standing again; Sven Schulze succeeded him as minister-president in January 2026 and leads the CDU list.

How did the vote change since 2021?

The AfD more than doubled, from 20.8% to 43.79%, and the CDU more than halved, from 37.1% to 17.23% — a swing of about 43 points between them. The CDU fell from 40 seats to 15 and lost every one of the 41 constituencies it had dominated. Die Linke slipped from 11.0% to 8.56%, the SPD held roughly steady at 9.30%, the Greens rose slightly to 8.93%, and the BSW entered the Landtag at its first attempt with 5.27%. The FDP dropped from 6.4% to 2.58% and out of parliament.

Which districts did the AfD win?

All fourteen. Its strongest were Mansfeld-Südharz (51.85%) and the Burgenlandkreis (51.04%), both former industrial and mining areas; its weakest were the three cities — Halle (Saale) at 29.86%, Magdeburg at 32.60% and Dessau-Roßlau at 38.90%. Turnout ranged from 75.67% in Mansfeld-Südharz to 80.01% in the Börde district.

Are these the final results?

Yes. The state returning officer published a provisional result at 03:21 on 7 September once all 2,660 polling districts had reported, and the Landeswahlausschuss determined the certified second-vote result on 22 September 2026. Shares and seats did not change; only absolute vote counts and turnout (77.82% → 77.80%) moved slightly as district committees completed their checks.

Where do these numbers come from?

Directly from Die Landeswahlleiterin des Landes Sachsen-Anhalt and the Statistisches Landesamt, whose official results publication at wahlergebnisse.sachsen-anhalt.de ships the count as an open-data file; the seat distribution comes from the same site. ElectioMap read that file live through the count, not a broadcaster's projection: no exit poll or forecast appeared on this page at any point.

Compiled and reviewed from official results by ElectioMap. See our data methodology.