Campact Launches Campaign to Counter AfD in Saxony-Anhalt Elections

The German organization Campact is spearheading a significant campaign aimed at preventing the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party from securing a sole government in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The initiative, backed by over 75,000 donors contributing to Campact's 'NoAfD-Fonds,' focuses on encouraging strategic voting for the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Green Party.

Campact's strategy involves extensive use of posters, advertisements, and mailings to persuade voters in Saxony-Anhalt to cast their ballots for the SPD and Greens. This approach is designed to ensure both parties surpass the crucial five-percent threshold required to enter the state parliament in Magdeburg. Current polls indicate that both parties are at risk of falling short of this requirement, which would leave the AfD as the strongest party, followed only by the CDU and The Left.

"Anyone living in Saxony-Anhalt who does not want to be governed by right-wing extremists should strategically vote for the SPD or the Greens," stated Felix Kolb, executive director of Campact. "The more democratic parties represented in parliament, the less power the AfD will have." A recent poll commissioned by Campact shows the SPD at seven percent and the Greens at five percent voter support.

The campaign has a budget of 620,000 euros, with no funds directly flowing to the SPD or Greens. Campact has previously employed similar tactics, notably before the 2024 state election in Saxony, where they advocated for strategic voting for The Left to counter the AfD. In that instance, The Left narrowly missed the five-percent hurdle but secured seats through direct mandates.

Campact has raised over 2.5 million euros for state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, intending to support both campaigns and local initiatives. A visual event is planned in Magdeburg to launch the campaign, featuring the unfurling of a banner with the voting recommendation on the steps of the state parliament.

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Anyone living in Saxony-Anhalt who does not want to be governed by right-wing extremists should strategically vote for the SPD or the Greens. The more democratic parties represented in parliament, the less power the AfD will have.