AfD appears headed for a major victory in Saxony-Anhalt

The Alternative for Germany appears poised for a major breakthrough in Saxony-Anhalt, where the right-wing party has polled above 40% for months and could even secure an outright majority.

The state has 1.7 million registered voters and is currently governed by the Christian Democrats, the party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in a coalition with two smaller parties. Minister-President Sven Schulze hopes to form another multi-party coalition and remain in power.

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They were the ones who built the firewall. If nobody wants to work with us, then we will just have to do it alone.

All other major parties have so far rejected cooperation with AfD. The party’s Saxony-Anhalt branch is classified as far-right by Germany’s domestic intelligence service. Its leader, 35-year-old Ulrich Siegmund, has become a major draw at campaign rallies, where supporters reportedly greet him like a rock star. He also has a large following on social media and has confidently predicted that AfD will win an outright majority.

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If AfD wins in Saxony-Anhalt, Merz’s critics will become even louder and demands for better leadership will be impossible to ignore.

“They were the ones who built the firewall,” Siegmund told Bild. “If nobody wants to work with us, then we will just have to do it alone.”

A major AfD victory would put additional pressure on Merz, who has promised to revive Germany’s sluggish economy and limit immigration. His party has also been losing to AfD in nationwide polling. Political scientist Wolfgang Schroeder of the University of Kassel said Merz’s critics would become louder and demands for stronger leadership would be impossible to ignore. He did not expect Merz to be ousted, however, because no strong challenger had emerged. “As far as I can see, there is no other candidate for chancellor,” Schroeder said.

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As far as I can see, there is no other candidate for chancellor.