Saxony-Anhalt: Extremist AfD Poised to Win State Election
For the first time since Hitler was in power, an extremist right-wing party might take over a German state government. Some 1.7 million people are eligible to vote.
In Saxony-Anhalt, an extremist right-wing party called Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is set to potentially win a state election, marking the first time since Nazi rule that such a party could achieve this in Nazi Germany's successor state, Germany. The Federal Republic of Germany is home to 1.7 million eligible voters in Saxony-Anhalt.
Recent polls suggest that the AfD could secure between 40 to 42 percent of the vote, with its top candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, leading among the candidates. The AfD is officially classified as a right-wing extremist party by the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, a designation it shares with similar parties in Brandenburg, Lower Saxony, Saxony, and Thuringia.
Polling stations in Saxony-Anhalt open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 6:00 p.m. CET, with projections based on polling station surveys expected shortly after. The big question, however, is whether the AfD will gain an outright majority. If they do, they may pursue racist and antidemocratic policies without restraint, such as abolishing compulsory school attendance, deporting asylum seekers, and dismantling the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
The current governing coalition consists of conservative CDU, center-left SPD, and center-right FDP, none of which have a majority. Governor Sven Schulze, a Christian Democrat (CDU), is projected to receive around 23 percent of the vote, falling short of the AfD's aspirations.
The election results may complicate the formation of the next state government in Magdeburg, as none of the major parties are willing to cooperate with the AfD. The CDU also rejects any partnership with the center-left Die Linke. Additional state elections will occur on September 20th in Berlin and Mecklenburg-Hither Pomerania, where the AfD shows strong support.
In Berlin, the right-wing extremists do not have enough backing to govern, but Die Linke might, given their presence of individuals who spread antisemitism and conspiracy theories against Israel.
Written by urgent.news from The Berlin Spectator's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
