Germany’s far-right AfD eyes historic breakthrough in Saxony-Anhalt election

Voters in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt are heading to the polls. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is expected to achieve a significant breakthrough, with some polls indicating it may win over 40% of the vote. According to Malay Mail, around 1.7 million voters will cast their ballots until 6pm local time.

The AfD's top candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, has predicted gaining an absolute majority, according to Malay Mail. If the party secures an absolute majority, it would mark a historic breakthrough as the first far-right party to take power at a state level in Germany since World War II, as reported by France 24.

The centre-right CDU, led by state premier Sven Schulze, currently rules Saxony-Anhalt in coalition with two smaller parties. All other major parties have maintained a "firewall" of non-cooperation with the AfD, which is categorised as "right-wing extremist" by Germany's domestic intelligence agency, according to Malay Mail.

Brief written by urgent.news from RFI English, Euronews, Malay Mail, The Local Germany, France 24 — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.