Milan, 6 Sept. (LaPresse) – Polls are open for the regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Polling stations, which opened at 8 am, will remain open until 6 pm across some 2,600 polling stations, with around 22,000 polling officials overseeing the voting and counting process. Almost 1.7 million voters are called upon to cast their ballots in an election that could mark a historic turning point for German politics. The far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is well ahead in the polls, not far from an absolute majority, and is aiming to take control of a federal state for the first time, ahead of the CDU. The result could make the formation of a new government extremely complicated. Yesterday, on the eve of the vote, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated: “We will not allow these people to destroy our country with their words.” In addition to the CDU, AfD, Die Linke, SPD, the Greens and the FDP, nine other lists are taking part in the election, including the BSW, Free Voters, Volt and the Party for the Protection of Animals. The main contest is between Minister-President Sven Schulze of the CDU and the AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund. The new regional parliament must convene within 30 days of the election. The election of the Minister-President, which takes place by secret ballot, could, however, require several rounds of voting and become the first, decisive test of the new political balance that has emerged from the polls.
Germany: Polls open in Saxony-Anhalt; AfD aims for its first victory
Milan, 6 Sept. (LaPresse) – Polls are open for the regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Polling stations, which opened at 8 am, will remain open until 6 pm across some 2,600 polling stations, with around 22,000 polling officials overseeing the voting and counting process. Almost 1.7 million voters are called upon to cast their ballots in an election that could mark a historic turning point for German politics. The far-right party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is well ahead in the polls, not far from an absolute majority, and is aiming to take control of a federal state for the first time, ahead of the CDU. The result could make the formation of a new government extremely complicated. Yesterday, on the eve of the vote, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated: “We will not allow these people to destroy our country with their words.” In addition to the CDU, AfD, Die Linke, SPD, the Greens and the FDP, nine other lists are taking part in the election, including the BSW, Free Voters, Volt and the Party for the Protection of Animals. The main contest is between Minister-President Sven Schulze of the CDU and the AfD candidate Ulrich Siegmund. The new regional parliament must convene within 30 days of the election. The election of the Minister-President, which takes place by secret ballot, could, however, require several rounds of voting and become the first, decisive test of the new political balance that has emerged from the polls.