AfD leads by nearly 20 points in Saxony-Anhalt poll ahead of state election

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Polls show the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) leading by nearly 20 points ahead of the Sept. 6 state election in Saxony-Anhalt, with the party’s candidate Ulrich Siegmund campaigning as a potential minister-president. A new INSA survey for Bild found 41% of Germans would accept an AfD-led government in the state, while 46% oppose it, and 22% said they would leave Germany if AfD ever produced a federal chancellor .
Siegmund, 35, has drawn large crowds, posing for selfies and signing magazine covers branding him “the most dangerous man in Germany.” He built a following during the pandemic by criticizing restrictions and now frames his party as the voice of “common sense” on migration, energy policy and public broadcasting. At an AfD youth event in Magdeburg, Siegmund praised a speech by state party chief Martin Reichardt, who called the German state a “dope-smelling lazy asshole” and the German language a “bloated intersectional-feminist slut” .
Chancellor Friedrich Merz of the CDU warned Saxony-Anhalt must not become a “testing ground for angry citizens,” while FDP leader Wolfgang Kubicki, campaigning in Magdeburg with his party polling at 3%, said an AfD government would be “bad, but manageable” and threatened federal intervention if necessary . Merz also announced a coordinated response with EU and NATO partners to hybrid threats from Russia following a drone attack on Leipzig airport, with investigations nearing completion .
Siegmund’s past includes a brief CDU membership before joining AfD in 2016, winning a Landtag seat that year and co-leading the AfD fraction since 2022. He faced criticism for attending a 2023 Potsdam meeting where far-right figure Martin Sellner discussed “remigration,” leading to his removal as chair of the social affairs committee. He was also linked to an AfD nepotism scandal .
Current Saxony-Anhalt Minister-President Sven Schulze of the CDU, in office since January, has campaigned intensively to close the gap, emphasizing local roots and direct citizen contact. Economist Reint Gropp warned an AfD victory could have drastic economic consequences for the state, which he said needs immigration to grow .
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