Far-right AfD party aims for big gains in eastern states

Voters in two eastern German states will go to the polls in elections where the far-right is expected to make a strong showing.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has led polls in Thuringia ahead of Sunday’s vote, while it is in a tight race for first place with the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Saxony.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) and its coalition partners have struggled in recent polls.

On Saturday, thousands of protesters gathered in the Thuringian capital Erfurt, denouncing the anti-immigration AfD party as fascist. The AfD said Germany should deport illegal immigrants.

Polling stations across two German states are scheduled to open at 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT).

In Thuringia, the AfD is widely expected to become the largest party.

Meanwhile, the SPD – together with its Green and Liberal coalition partners – did not achieve positive results in Thuringia, and may not even win a single seat in the state parliament.

The AfD is officially classified as a far-right group in Thuringia, while its controversial regional leader Björn Höcke was recently fined for using a Nazi slogan – although he denies doing so intentionally.

In Saxony, the AfD is competing for first place with the CDU.

Last week’s knife attack in western Germany, in which a Syrian refugee and Islamist suspect allegedly killed three people, has sparked fierce criticism of the way successive governments have handled the migration issue.

Even if the AfD emerges as the largest party in both states, that does not mean it will take power, as other political parties have publicly ruled out any cooperation with it to form a majority.

However, the poll results will be seen as a test ahead of Germany’s federal election in 2025.