Germany’s far right eyes election breakthrough as AfD surges in Saxony

What the report says

Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is on course for a major advance in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, where state elections are being held on Sunday, according to Al Jazeera. The party, which is classified as far-right extremist by the state’s domestic intelligence service, is polling well ahead of mainstream rivals and could become the first far-right force to lead a German state government since World War II.

Al Jazeera reports that the AfD’s local campaign centers on hardline immigration and nationalist themes, including calls to curtail asylum rights, deport more rejected applicants and reject what it describes as threats to German identity. Its top candidate in the state is Ulrich Siegmund, a former Christian Democratic Union member. The article also notes that some former CDU voters, including a banking clerk interviewed in Magdeburg, say economic concerns and anger over Germany’s political direction are pushing them toward the AfD.

The broader significance goes beyond one regional contest. Analysts cited by Al Jazeera link the party’s rise in eastern Germany to long-running economic and social frustrations after reunification, as well as to wider national debates over migration and trust in established parties. If the AfD were to enter government in Saxony-Anhalt, it would mark an unprecedented postwar breakthrough for the German far right at state level. Other parties are still discussing whether they can form a majority without it, while Chancellor Friedrich Merz has ruled out cooperation with the AfD and the Left Party.