The Alternative for Germany, or AfD, has emerged as the winner in the election held in the eastern German state of Saxony Anhalt, according to preliminary results. Preliminary official figures showed the AfD securing 43.8 percent of the vote, putting it well ahead of the centre right Christian Democratic Union, or CDU, which received 17.2 percent. The CDU is led nationally by Chancellor Friedrich Merz. AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund described the result as a major achievement for the party. He said the party had accomplished what it had set out to do and had made history in Saxony Anhalt. AfD co leader Alice Weidel also welcomed the outcome, calling it a historic result. The strong performance gives the party significant political influence, although it remained uncertain whether the AfD could secure enough support to form a government on its own. Chancellor Friedrich Merz did not publicly comment on the election result on Sunday evening. He left the CDU headquarters, known as the Konrad Adenauer Haus, shortly after 10pm local time. Al Jazeera correspondent Dominic Kane, reporting from Magdeburg, said the AfD had received the largest share of the vote according to the early figures. However, he noted that it was still unclear whether the result would provide the party with enough seats to take control of the state government. The latest projections indicated that the AfD would hold 39 of the 83 seats in the state parliament. It therefore remained three seats short of the 42 seats required to secure an absolute majority. Siegmund said the AfD was prepared to reach out to political groups that supported major changes in the state. At the same time, he made clear that his party would not compromise its position simply to gain cooperation from other parties. The AfD has so far not been part of a governing coalition in any of Germany's 16 states and has never entered the federal government. Other major political parties have traditionally refused to cooperate with the AfD, a stance widely described in Germany as the firewall. National AfD co leader Tino Chrupalla said the election outcome demonstrated that voters had rejected the policies of the current governing parties. Speaking to broadcaster ARD, he argued that the result should prompt mainstream parties to accept what he described as the voters' rejection of the firewall. The AfD organisation in Saxony Anhalt has been officially classified by the state's domestic intelligence service as a confirmed right wing extremist organisation. The party has rejected the classification, describing it as politically motivated. The election result also presents another challenge for Chancellor Merz, whose popularity has weakened as his coalition government faces difficulties in boosting economic growth in Europe's largest economy. The CDU finished well behind the AfD. Saxony Anhalt Premier Sven Schulze congratulated the AfD and acknowledged the seriousness of the result for his party. He said the CDU would have to accept the outcome. Schulze later stated that he would not cooperate with the AfD. Earlier, however, he had avoided giving a definitive response when questioned about whether the CDU would continue maintaining its firewall against the party. The projected distribution of seats is expected to make coalition formation particularly complicated. Schulze could seek support from several political groups to build a governing alliance. However, the CDU has traditionally ruled out formal cooperation with both the AfD and the Left party, known as Die Linke.