The AfD is expected to become the first far-right party to govern at the state level after World War II in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

(Central News Agency, Berlin, June 6, Comprehensive Foreign News Report) The eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt will hold a closely watched state parliamentary election today. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to become the first far-right party to gain power at the state level after World War II.

Reuters reported that under the leadership of 35-year-old party leader Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD has been steadily leading the polls for months and is even expected to gain more than half of the seats in parliament today. Especially if several small parties fail to cross the 5% vote threshold in state parliaments, the AfD will have a higher chance of gaining more than half of the seats.

The election is also seen as a sign of support for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government. Merz, whose popularity is low, has tried to weaken the AfD by taking tougher stances on immigration and security.

Recent polls show support for the AfD at just over 40%, followed by Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU) at 23%.

If it obtains a majority of seats, the AfD will not have to cooperate with other political parties, and it will be able to avoid the "firewall" policy long pursued by mainstream parties and form a government on its own.

However, without an absolute majority, the AfD, which is classified as a "far-right extremist" party by state security agencies, will find it difficult to join the government due to its "firewall" policy.

However, under Germany's electoral system based on proportional representation, obtaining an absolute majority is not easy. The electoral system is designed in part to encourage the formation of coalition governments and reduce the likelihood of a single party taking power. After the vote, weeks of negotiations to form a government are likely to begin.

For the AfD, today's state parliamentary elections are a springboard to achieve greater ambitions, aiming to gain national power in the next German federal election scheduled to be held in 2029.

Sigmund said at the last rally on the evening of the 5th: "No matter what the outcome of tomorrow's election is, we have already made history."

"Because the force we started in Saxony-Anhalt is sweeping across Germany and is already unstoppable."