Elections Kick Off in Germany's Saxony-Anhalt: Polls Predict Far-Right Victory

Voting has begun for the state parliament in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt. According to the latest pre-election poll, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) could win as much as 41% of the vote, putting it far ahead of its rivals.

Pollsters expect the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to come in second with 22-23%. The party is led locally by the state's current premier, Sven Schulze, while at the federal level it is headed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Who Could Take the Helm

If the forecasts hold true, the state's new premier would be the local AfD leader, 35-year-old Ulrich Siegmund. This would mark the first time in history that an AfD representative has led one of Germany's federal states — the party was founded thirteen years ago.

However, should Siegmund's party fail to secure a majority of seats, incumbent Premier Schulze could hold onto his post. To do so, he would need to form a minority government in alliance with the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens, which would additionally require support from the far-left party Die Linke. That would mean the new state government would have to incorporate some of that party's demands into its programme.

The Region with Germany's Weakest Economy

Saxony-Anhalt, in eastern Germany, has around 2.1 million residents and ranks among the states with the weakest economic performance in the country. Voters there cast two ballots: one for a candidate in their local constituency, and one for a party list.

Ahead of the vote, several civic initiatives urged voters to cast their ballots strategically in order to prevent the far-right AfD from coming to power. Final election results are expected to be known only on Monday morning.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz