Germany’s far right reaches the threshold of power in Saxony-Anhalt

At 9:30 on a Monday morning, nearly 200 people crowded the forecourt beside an Esso station in Wolmirstedt to greet Ulrich Siegmund, the far-right Alternative for Germany’s lead candidate in Saxony-Anhalt.

Retirees, mothers and supporters who had taken time away from work waited for a selfie with the politician who could become the state’s next minister-president. The line was long, but Siegmund made a point of greeting everyone with a handshake, an embrace or a warm word. “We’ve already met, haven’t we, my dear?” he told one woman.

The scene reflects the AfD’s strong campaign in the eastern German state. The party is recording its highest-ever polling figures there and hopes to form a government after Sunday’s election.

Saxony-Anhalt could make history by becoming the first German region since World War II to be governed by the far right. The prospect has placed the state at the center of attention as voters prepare to decide whether the AfD can turn its electoral strength into power.

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We’ve already met, haven’t we, my dear?