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German Region Votes in Election that Could Bring First Far-Right State Governor to Power
AfD seeks an absolute majority as mainstream parties refuse cooperation, a result that could produce Germany’s first far-right state government.
On Sunday, voters in Saxony-Anhalt head to the polls in an election that could grant the far-right AfD its first state government post in Germany's post-World War II history.
Mainstream parties maintain a 'firewall' refusing to partner with the AfD, whose regional branch the domestic intelligence agency classifies as a right-wing extremist group—a charge the party rejects—threatening the Christian Democratic Union's 24-year leadership.
AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund seeks an absolute majority to claim the governor's post, while incumbent governor Sven Schulze of the CDU says his party is "100%" opposed to any coalition with the far-right party.
If the AfD finishes first without an absolute majority, forming a stable government remains unlikely; two years ago in neighboring Thuringia, a CDU governor took power with a minority government after AfD finished first.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz faces two additional electoral tests on September 20, when state elections in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Berlin will challenge the CDU and its national governing coalition partners.