An upcoming election could produce modern Germany’s 1st far-right state governor

An election in eastern Germany on Sunday could mark a historic first as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party might secure the first far-right state governor in post-World War II Germany. Chancellor Friedrich Merz, leading an unpopular national government, is grappling with the perception of "widespread moroseness" in the country.

Polls indicate a significant lead for the anti-migration AfD ahead of the election to the state legislature in Saxony-Anhalt. Winning control of a state government would be the party's biggest accomplishment in its 13-year existence, a political shock not only for Germany but also a symbolic setback for Merz.

Political science professor Wolfgang Merkel from the WBZ Berlin Social Science Center described a potential AfD victory as "breaking a taboo" in modern Germany. "An exception" in Europe has been the absence of any radical right-wing party governing at the national, state, or major city level, according to Merkel. Saxony-Anhalt, a region west of Berlin and home to 2.1 million people out of Germany's 83.5 million population, has been under the rule of Merz's center-right Christian Democratic Union since 2002.

However, the party faces considerable challenges. The AfD achieved its best post-war showing by a far-right party in the national election last year, garnering 20.8% of the votes and becoming Germany's largest opposition party. The AfD's popularity has grown across the ex-communist east, including Saxony-Anhalt, while Chancellor Merz's government struggles to rejuvenate a sluggish economy, garnering additional support from voters dissatisfied with issues beyond migration control.