polls have opened in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt, where the far-right, anti-immigration party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is expected to come out on top in an election that could have a major impact on Germany's political landscape.
around 1.7 million people are eligible to vote. polling stations opened at 8am local time and will close at 6pm, when exit polls are expected to give an early sign of whether the AfD has won enough votes to secure an absolute majority and govern the state on its own.
if that happens, it would be the first time the party has led a state government, and the first time since world war ii that a far-right extremist party has held power at the regional or parliamentary level in germany.
the final polls before the vote showed the afd with about 40-41% support. according to polling, the number of undecided voters this time was much lower than in previous elections.
at present, this small state is run by the conservative christian democratic union (cdu) of chancellor friedrich merz, together with two smaller parties. the cdu, which has about 23% support, is led in the state by sven schulze and hopes to form a multiparty coalition to stay in power.
the cdu and all other mainstream parties have refused to form a coalition government with the afd, a stance known as the "brandmauer" or firewall. in saxony-anhalt, the afd has been classified as "right-wing extremist" by germany's domestic intelligence agency.
the afd's lead candidate is ulrich siegmund, 35, a former fragrance salesman with a large tiktok following who is treated like a pop star. he has said he will only take power if the party wins an absolute majority and will not agree to a coalition with any other party.
the saxony-anhalt election is the biggest test yet for merz, who is unpopular along with his government. he has failed to deliver on promises to revive germany's struggling economy and reduce support for the afd. irregular immigration has declined since he took office, but not enough to satisfy the average voter.
if the afd wins convincingly, it would put huge pressure on merz. in national polls, the cdu has also been overtaken by the afd, which is aiming for victory in the next federal election in 2029.
if the afd wins in saxony-anhalt, siegmund has promised to launch a "remigration" and deportation campaign, ban rainbow flags in schools, and stop the construction of new wind farms.
he wants to change the state's slogan from "think modern" to "think german" and bring back the singing of the national anthem in schools.
siegmund has tried to tap into "ostalgie" – nostalgia for communist east germany – and to appeal to discontent among eastern germans who feel like second-class citizens compared to those in the west.
he arrived to vote on sunday morning with his wife, riding an east german-era moped in the party's colors, which was also a prominent prop during the election campaign at rallies across the state. speaking in front of the polling station, he expressed optimism that the party would get "45%, and then some."
thousands of afd opponents gathered in the state capital, magdeburg, on saturday for a "festival of democracy."
on saturday evening, a message projected onto the facade of magdeburg cathedral read: "we do not abandon what we love. true love of the homeland is not the afd."
the bishop of magdeburg, gerhard feige, warned a gathering of churchgoers about forces "that want to sow discord, stoke mistrust and fear." he drew parallels with historical events, warning that a democracy can abolish itself. "not everyone who votes or is elected democratically is a democrat," he said.
the german economic institute has warned of serious consequences for the german economy, both in saxony-anhalt and beyond, particularly regarding immigration.the party described the rationing policy as "calamitous" for the state, which has an aging and shrinking population and relies heavily on foreign workers. critics have also raised concerns that, given the party's pro-kremlin stance, an afd-led state could share sensitive information with russia. the afd has denied these allegations and stated it would work to reform the domestic intelligence service, claiming it is biased.
according to the latest poll by public broadcaster zdf on thursday, the afd holds a strong lead with 41% support, while the cdu trails at 23%, the far-left die linke at 11.5%, the social democrats at 8.5%, and the greens at 6%. two smaller parties did not reach the 5% threshold required to re-enter parliament.
independent election observers are present at polling stations amid afd claims of voter fraud, particularly in postal voting, with special attention on a retirement home. state authorities have denied these allegations.
frequently asked questions
here is a list of faqs about the farright afd partys expected win in the german state election written in a natural clear tone
beginnerlevel questions
1 what is the afd
the afd is a farright political party in germany it is known for its strong opposition to immigration islam and the european union in recent years it has become increasingly radical and has been placed under surveillance by german intelligence agencies in several states
2 which state election are we talking about
this refers to the state election in thuringia which is located in eastern germany there was also an election on the same day in the neighboring state of saxony
3 what does winning by a large margin mean here
it means the afd is projected to get the highest percentage of voteslikely around 30which would be significantly more than any other single party this would be a historic first for the afd
4 does winning the election mean the afd will now run the state government
not necessarily to form a government a party needs a majority of seats in the state parliament other parties have refused to form a coalition with the afd so even if the afd wins the most votes they likely wont be able to get enough support from other parties to form a government
5 why is this a big deal
its a big deal because it shows the growing strength of a farright party in germany a country with a heavy historical burden from its nazi past it also makes governing the state very difficult as all other parties have to figure out how to work together to keep the afd out of power
intermediatelevel questions
6 who is the afds main candidate in thuringia and why is he so controversial
the main candidate is bjrn hcke he is considered the most radical leader within the afd he has used banned naziera phrases in speeches and has been convicted of using the sa slogan the german intelligence service officially classifies him as a rightwing extremist
7 why is the afd so popular in eastern germany but less so in the west
there are several reasons
