German voters went to the polls on Sunday for a regional election in Saxony-Anhalt, where the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is expected to win. The AfD has been polling at more than 40% for months in the eastern German state.
Polls opened at 8am, with 1.7 million voters having until 6pm to cast their ballots. First projections are anticipated shortly after polls close.
The AfD's top candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, has predicted gaining an absolute majority, stating that if other parties will not work with them, they will "do it alone." All other major parties have maintained a "firewall" of non-cooperation with the AfD, whose Saxony-Anhalt branch is categorised as "right-wing extremist" by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency.
The current state government is a coalition led by the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The latest poll, released on Thursday by public broadcaster ZDF, gave the AfD 41% of the vote, the CDU 23%, the Social Democratic party (SPD) 8.5%, and the Greens 6%. The far-left Die Linke polled at 11.5%.