Key Facts

• The AfD aims to win control of Saxony-Anhalt’s regional parliament, marking the first time a far-right party could lead a German state government since World War II.
• Ulrich Siegmund leads the AfD in this election and is popular in the region, often seen with supporters and gaining media attention.
• Voters in the east feel unhappy about immigration, public safety, the economy, energy costs, and foreign aid, which has boosted AfD support.
• The AfD wants to separate refugee children into special classes, restrict LGBT symbols in schools, and teach less about Nazi history while emphasizing positive German history.
• The party plans to strengthen deportation efforts for migrants without legal status and stop what it calls "illegal, culturally alien" immigration.
• AfD’s sympathy towards Russia has raised trust concerns, especially after a Russian army mug appeared in one leader’s office during a period of increased Russian-German tensions.
• Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) oppose working with the AfD and face criticism over handling far-right growth.
• German security warns of increasing Russian-backed disinformation campaigns targeting AfD’s political rivals.