PoliticsChancellor Friedrich Merz is facing mounting pressure after being booed during a visit to a wildfire zone and recording weak poll ratings. Support for the AfD continues to grow, while many Germans doubt he will complete a full term.
PoliticsVoters in Germany’s eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt will cast ballots in early September, with surveys placing the far-right Alternative for Germany about 20 points ahead and above 40 percent. Lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund is seeking an absolute majority, while the CDU under incumbent Sven Schulze is near 24 percent.
SocietyAfter decades of population loss, Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany is showing signs of an unexpected revival. Affordable rents and new opportunities are drawing people back, but growing support for the far-right Alternative for Germany has raised fears that the region’s recovery could be endangered.
PoliticsLess than three weeks before Saxony-Anhalt votes, far-right AfD supporters in Magdeburg queue to meet lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund, whom Der Spiegel has called “the most dangerous man in Germany.” Polls indicate the party could lead the vote and secure an absolute seat majority, enabling changes to education, broadcasting rules and policing, including treatment of refugees and migrants.