The far-right party won 44 percent of the vote in elections in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) has just delivered its strongest state election result in the party's history, led by a woman whose own household appears to defy almost everything the party stands for.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is hoping to build on its "dream result" in Saxony-Anhalt and earn 40% at the next national election, co-leader Alice Weidel said on Monday. One day after the

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservatives licked their wounds Monday after a crushing state election defeat in the ex-communist east, as the triumphant far-right AfD launched a withering attack against him.

With well over 40% for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), Saxony-Anhalt has witnessed a landmark election night. DW's reporters were on the ground.

Germany’s AfD has recorded its strongest state-election performance since World War II, winning 39 of 83 seats in Saxony-Anhalt. Here are four key takeaways from the far-right party’s historic breakthrough and the political challenge it creates.

Despite falling short of a majority, the far-right AfD's performance in the regional election was the best result of a far-right German party since before the Second World War.

Weidel’s personal life contrasts with the AfD’s opposition to expanding LGBTQ rights and its emphasis on traditional family structures.