Germany's far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is aiming to win an outright majority in Sunday's regional election in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, a result that would make it the first far-right party to hold state-level power in the country since 1945. The vote is seen as a major test for Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose conservative CDU has faced booing at public appearances and persistent doubts over whether he can serve out his term, particularly given his earlier pledge to curb the far right's rise.

The AfD's lead candidate, 35-year-old Ulrich Siegmund, has dominated media coverage despite being dubbed "Germany's Most Dangerous Man" by Der Spiegel over aides with alleged past neo-Nazi links. Support is fuelled by discontent over immigration, public safety, the economy, energy costs and aid to Ukraine. The party's manifesto proposes segregating refugee children in schools, banning rainbow flags, setting up a task-force to detain and deport migrants, and reducing teaching on the Nazi era, while its pro-Russia sympathies — including a Russian army mug found in one AfD figure's office — have raised concerns about trustworthiness on intelligence matters, amid warnings of escalating Russian-backed disinformation.