Germany: Polls open in Saxony-Anhalt election seen as a landmark test for far-right rise

The far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, appeared close to a breakthrough victory as voting opened in Saxony-Anhalt, an eastern German state. Such an outcome would be unprecedented in Germany since 1945 and would further weaken Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the report said.

The AfD, led by 35-year-old social media figure Ulrich Siegmund, stood at 41% in the latest poll by public broadcaster ZDF. The conservatives led by Sven Schulze, the 47-year-old head of Saxony-Anhalt since the beginning of the year, were on 23%.

The AfD’s lead does not guarantee it an outright majority. The result will depend largely on how many parties enter the state parliament. Die Linke was projected to receive 11.5%, the Social Democrats 8.5% and the Greens 6%. The pro-Russian BSW party and the Free Democrats were not expected to clear the 5% threshold.

About 1.7 million voters could cast ballots between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Greece time, with initial projections expected shortly after polls closed. A day earlier, around 6,000 people demonstrated peacefully in the state capital, Magdeburg, according to police, calling for an open Saxony-Anhalt and “a better life without Nazis.”

All parties so far have ruled out governing with the AfD, apart from divisions within BSW. That political isolation could allow Schulze to remain in power by forming a coalition with other parties represented in the state parliament.

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a better life without Nazis