Polls open in Saxony-Anhalt as AfD predicted to win state election

German voters headed to the polls on Sunday for a crucial regional election in Saxony-Anhalt, where the state's far-right anti-immigration AfD party is expected to win easily. Polling at over 40% for months, Alternative for Germany has its sights on winning its first-ever state government. All other major parties have so far maintained a firewall of non-cooperation with the AfD, whose Saxony-Anhalt branch is categorized as right-wing extremist by Germany's domestic intelligence agency. A large AfD victory would pile more pressure onto German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his increasingly unpopular coalition. AfD candidate Ulrich Sigmund has announced that he would only govern if his party won an absolute majority. Whether the AfD manages to secure an outright majority of seats in the state parliament in Magdeburg will depend on how the smaller parties perform. The more parties that cross the 5% threshold and enter the state parliament, the smaller the AfD's chances become of an absolute majority of MPs.