The peaceful revolution of 1989 began in Saxony . 30 years later, the public eagerly awaited the results of Saxony’s seventh state elections . The AfD was expected to gain a high share of votes after the party there had already been the strongest political force in the federal elections in 2017 and the European elections in 2019 . Although the CDU lost votes it still came out the strongest party - mainly because of Michael Kretschmer’s excellent reputation as state premier . The election was marked by superlatives: The Social Democrats faced their worst result nationwide after World War II . The Greens had never gained more votes in the state . Almost the opposite holds true for The Left . The AfD had nowhere else in Germany received a higher share of the vote nor a higher percentual increase . The governing coalition does not mirror the election results: The left parties were weakened in parliament but strengthened in government . The CDU refrained from forming a minority government, which was deemed too risky .