Germany's far-right AfD party is poised for power in a state election

In Halle, Germany, Ulrich Siegmund, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) candidate for governor in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, is making waves with his TikTok fame. As a charismatic 35-year-old former marketing man, Siegmund's charm and well-groomed appearance set him apart from other members of the party, who often display a grim expression.

Despite his polished demeanor, Siegmund's policies on immigration and mass deportation of migrants are hard-right and controversial. In a TikTok post, he asserts that doctors should not leave for Switzerland or Norway due to intolerable conditions, but instead, more doctors should be brought in from countries like India. The AfD's platform claims that culturally foreign health workers often fail to meet German medical standards, endangering patient well-being.

A former AfD supporter, Hannes Kreschel, points out that while the party presents a positive image, its actual policies favor the financially well-off and exclude those who disagree. Kreschel, who once supported the AfD in protest against the ruling class, now sees the party as an unattractive option for living in an open, friendly, and non-hateful country.

However, voters in Halle, like 49-year-old aviation engineer Alexander Winsek, find some of the AfD's ideas appealing, such as limiting the influx of migrants, while disagreeing with other positions. Winsek reasons that Siegmund's can-do spirit and optimistic outlook make him an appealing alternative to other AfD members, who, in his view, are full of doom and threats.

Marcel Lewandowsky, a researcher at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, argues that AfD voters are not necessarily seeking an autocratic leader. Instead, they are drawn to the party's promise of "real" democracy, which other political parties struggle to match. The AfD's anti-establishment appeal is no longer limited to eastern Germany, as the party is also polling first at the federal level.

A win in Saxony-Anhalt would be a significant breakthrough for the AfD, a party classified as right-wing extremist by domestic intelligence authorities in several German states.