Far right German party wants majority government for Saxony/Anhalt

The far-right Alternative Germany party

says it will seek to form a "stable majority" after falling just short of the required seats

to govern alone in Sunday's election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.

The AfD swept to a landslide victory in a regional election,

possibly paving the way for Germany's first right-wing populist state

government since the Nazi era.

Ulrich Siegmund, AfD candidate for Saxony-Anhalt state governor said Monday

"the party's goal now is to organise precisely this stable majority

in the coming days and weeks."

He added this would be either "through the support of a parliamentary group

or of individual members of the state parliament."

The party is classified by Germany's domestic intelligence agency as an extremist group

in some regions of the country.

Because of Germany's Nazi past, far-right movements have always come under strong scrutiny,

with the other major parties maintaining a firewall

against any form of cooperation.

Support for German Chancellor Friedrigh Merz's CDU party fell by half,

while AfD more than doubled its share of the vote.

The result could also energise AfD in other state elections later this month.