A recent poll indicates that Alternative for Germany (AfD) holds a 12-point lead over its nearest rival in Saxony Anhalt, ahead of the state election next year.
According to data released on Thursday, the right-wing AfD is experiencing unprecedented popularity in the eastern German state of Saxony Anhalt. This development occurs approximately one year before the regional parliamentary elections slated for September 2026.
The Infratest Dimap Institute’s survey, commissioned by several news outlets, reveals that almost 40% of Saxony Anhalt voters would support the AfD if elections were held this week.
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the AfD’s closest competitor, is projected to receive only 27% of the vote, trailing the AfD by 12 percentage points.
The party’s increasing popularity persists despite the German domestic security service (BfV) classifying its Saxony Anhalt branch as a “far-right extremist” group in 2023.
The poll surveyed over 1,100 eligible voters in the region between August 28 and September 2.
These figures suggest that public support for the AfD in Saxony Anhalt has almost doubled since the 2021 regional election, when it garnered just over 20% of the vote, finishing second to the CDU. The poll indicates a 2% increase in support for the AfD since it obtained 37% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt during the recent federal elections in February.
Another national poll from mid-August suggested that the AfD has surpassed Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative bloc to become Germany’s most favored party. The RTL/ntv ‘Trendbarometer’ poll showed AfD support rising to a record 26%, while the CDU fell to 24%.
In May, the BfV designated the AfD a “confirmed right-wing extremist” group but suspended the classification pending a court ruling on the party’s appeal. German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig has also raised the possibility of banning the party, asserting that its level of public support is irrelevant if authorities deem it unconstitutional.