At the weekend, all available state police forces as well as requested forces from other federal states will be in action in Saxony-Anhalt. They are intended to prevent election campaign-related crimes and protect the basic right to freedom of assembly for a large number of public rallies, as a spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Interior in Magdeburg told the F.A.Z. announced. The police's preparations had been going on for more than ten months. Depending on the election results, different scenarios are expected on election day.
According to current surveys about voting intentions, the AfD is likely to win the election in Saxony-Anhalt with around 40 percent of the vote. The CDU is at around 23 percent in the polls. If there is a government option for the AfD, the state police, according to the spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry, “in addition to civil demonstrations, are also preparing for a possible nationwide arrival of the left-wing extremist scene for assembly activities and criminal offenses.”
If the AfD has no opportunity to participate in government, it must be expected that the blanket accusation of election manipulation (“stolen election victory”) will be made, it goes on to say. There could also be disruptions and crimes from the right-wing extremist scene.
At an event organized by the AfD youth organization “Generation Germany” last weekend, AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund said that he wanted to accept the results of next Sunday’s state elections in Saxony-Anhalt even if his party narrowly missed an absolute majority. Then he added that history has taught: “Trust is good, control is better.” He therefore recommends that everyone in Saxony go to their polling station at 6 p.m. and count the votes there so that everything is legally secure and there can be no objections.
As the F.A.Z. reported, AfD leader Tino Chrupalla also warned of alleged postal voting fraud in nursing homes. Experts and the state returning officer in Saxony-Anhalt reject the accusation as unsubstantiated.
According to paragraph 25 of the electoral law of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, the voting process and the determination of the election results in the electoral district are public. “In this respect, everyone is free to observe the counting of the votes cast, as long as this is possible without disruption,” a spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Interior told the F.A.Z. with. The electoral boards would be trained before every election, including with regard to possible election observation. Direct police contacts are also available for all polling stations. Anyone who disturbs the peace and order can be expelled from the polling station by the electoral board.
Interior Ministry: “Increasing intensity of the election campaign”
Regardless of the election result, 22 rallies in Saxony-Anhalt have so far been registered for the election weekend from September 4th to 6th, with a total of more than ten thousand people expected. “In the hot phase of the election campaign and also on the election weekend, the state police will protect the basic right to freedom of assembly for a large number of public rallies,” said Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang (CDU) to the F.A.Z. In addition, the state police are concerned with ensuring the free exercise of voting and preventing possible disruptions to the election process. “All election campaign-related crimes will be consistently prosecuted,” says Zieschang.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) has been producing a monthly state situation report on the state elections since April 2026. There has been a weekly state situation report since the end of July, which is now updated daily.
Zieschang describes the 2026 state elections in Saxony-Anhalt as “strongly emotional”. According to the spokeswoman, the increasing “intensity of the election campaign and political debate” is also reflected in the fact that more than a thousand cases of damaged or stolen election posters had already been registered by the end of August. “That is already more than in the super election year 2021 with state, federal and local elections (746 registered cases).” In addition, 116 election campaign-related crimes were reported between April and the end of August - including insults to the detriment of political figures, threats and physical injuries at party information stands.
