Germany: Far-right AfD awaits an evening of sweeping victory in Saxony-Anhalt

Saxony-Anhalt is heading toward a state election night that could become a far-right celebration. The Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is projected to achieve a historic victory, with its lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund at the center of attention.

Recent polls put the AfD at 41% to 43% support. The Christian Democratic Union, or CDU, is projected to finish second with about 22% to 24%. Five years ago, the AfD won 20.8% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt, meaning it could potentially double its support.

German security authorities classify the state’s AfD branch as far-right. In Magdeburg, the state capital, police from across Germany have deployed heavily ahead of the results. More than 100 police vans were reported around the city, while the area around the AfD’s election-night gathering was sealed off with barriers across roughly one square kilometer.

Turnout has been unusually strong. State election officials reported that 54.4% of voters had cast ballots by 3 p.m., excluding postal votes. At the same point in the 2021 election, turnout stood at 27.1%.

Each voter has two votes. The first selects a constituency candidate, while the second goes to a party and determines the distribution of seats in the state parliament. Polling stations close at 7 p.m., when German public broadcaster ARD is expected to publish a projection based on interviews outside 180 polling stations.

The result could trigger protests from the left. About 8,000 people opposed to the far right gathered in Magdeburg’s central Domplatz on Saturday, according to police. If the polls prove accurate, the AfD will become the largest party in the 83-seat parliament, but it is not expected to pass the threshold for an absolute majority of 42 seats.

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The city center is very calm. There are many police officers from across Germany present, and there are more than a hundred police vans around the city.