Far-right AfD wins key German state election but may fail to secure majority

Exit poll shows Alternative fur Deutschland on 44.5% of vote in Saxony-Anhalt after huge turnout, with votes still being counted

The populist far-right, anti-immigration Alternative fur Deutschland has emerged as the winner in a crucial state election in Germany, exit polls have projected, but it remains unclear as to whether it will be able to form a government and become the first far-right party to gain power at regional or parliament level since the second world war.

Initial exit polls showed the party to have secured 44.5% of the vote, decisively ahead of the Christian Democrats of the chancellor, Friedrich Merz, in a contest that was being followed across the world.