The AfD surged into first place in state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, putting a far-right party within reach of power at the state level for the first time since World War Two. Europe Editor Rachel Armstrong explains what it means for the European continent ▻ ↧ Saxony-Anhalt election delivers a blow to Merz and a warning to Europe The Alternative for Germany, just short of an absolute majority in the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament after Sunday's vote, has become the face of opposition to the consensus-based political system ‌that has governed Germany since World War Two.