State election in Saxony-Anhalt: Polling stations are open

Polling stations are open in Saxony-Anhalt, where the AfD could make history by forming a state government for the first time in Germany. The party’s top candidate is Ulrich Siegmund, while the CDU is led by current Minister-President Sven Schulze.

The election has prompted calls for tactical voting. Initiatives such as Taktisch Wählen are urging voters to set aside their preferred party and support a party that risks falling below the five-percent threshold, provided it clearly rules out cooperation with the AfD. The campaign focuses in particular on the SPD and Greens.

The approach may look like a pragmatic way to protect democratic institutions, Die Zeit’s coverage notes, but it also raises a question about the theory of democracy. The live coverage is following turnout, party and candidate results, and the election’s wider federal implications.

Many voters had already cast their ballots by post. According to the State Statistical Office, about 335,000 people had ordered and received postal voting documents by August 25, roughly 20 percent of eligible voters. The AfD had called beforehand for postal voting to be abolished.

Polling stations are scheduled to close at 6 p.m. The state election authority plans to record preliminary turnout at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Counting will then begin, with initial constituency figures expected from 7 p.m. The preliminary official final result is expected during election night or early Monday morning.