Kingmakers Enable Far‑Right Rule

When two larger blocs deadlock, a small third party with a handful of seats can decide who governs by tolerating, abstaining, or cosigning a figurehead; that enables far‑right parties to lead minority governments without formal coalitions. Sachsen‑Anhalt shows this dynamic: AfD (43.8%) and the anti‑AfD cartel each hold 39 seats, making the five‑seat BSW the decisive pivot for forming an AfD minority government. — Small centrist or breakaway parties can become decisive enabling actors, allowing parties previously kept out of power to govern indirectly — a structural risk to democratic norms and mainstream party strategies.