Saxony-Anhalt holds regional election with far-right victory expected
Alternative Party for Germany (AfD) leads polls and seeks unprecedented results in the country since the post-war
Quick Look
- Voters in Saxony-Anhalt vote this Sunday in a regional election that could mark the first victory for the far right (AfD) in Germany since the Second World War.
- The election is seen as a test for Friedrich Merz's federal government.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The AfD is classified by the state intelligence service as an extreme right-wing organization. Traditional German parties maintain a policy of not forming coalitions with the acronym.
The polls opened this Sunday (6) in Saxony-Anhalt, a state in eastern Germany, in a regional election that could give the far right an unprecedented victory in the country since the end of the Second World War.
Around 1.7 million voters are able to choose the members of the new state Parliament. Voting ends at 6pm local time, 1pm in Brasília.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party heads into voting day with a wide lead in the polls. Recent surveys place the party in the 40% range, well ahead of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
The AfD's main candidate is 35-year-old Ulrich Siegmund. The CDU, in turn, is trying to maintain the state government with Sven Schulze, current head of the Executive of Saxony-Anhalt.
An AfD victory, however, does not necessarily mean that the party will take over the government. To govern alone, the party needs to win an absolute majority of seats in the state Parliament.
The main German parties maintain a policy of not forming coalitions with the AfD.
This calculation also depends on the performance of smaller subtitles. In Germany, parties that do not reach 5% of the votes are left out of Parliament, which redistributes seats among parties that surpass this barrier.
If several of them fall below this threshold, the AfD could achieve a majority even without receiving more than 50% of the votes.
If the AfD does not achieve an absolute majority, the tendency is for negotiations to try to form another government led by the CDU. This process could take weeks and will depend on which parties gain representation in state Parliament.
The election is also seen as a test for Friedrich Merz's federal government. The chancellor has adopted tougher positions on immigration and security in an attempt to contain the rise of the AfD, but the far-right party continues to advance in the polls.
A significant victory for the party would increase political pressure on Merz.
The Saxony-Anhalt AfD is classified by the state intelligence service as a far-right organization. The party rejects this classification.
Even though it is a state dispute, the result is closely monitored across Germany because it could show how far the AfD's electoral growth is going and influence the strategy of traditional parties before the next federal elections, scheduled for 2029.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Negotiations to form a government led by the CDU if the AfD does not obtain a majority.
Likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Will the AfD achieve an absolute majority?
- Which parties will gain representation in Parliament?
