Voter turnout in the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt is running at historically high levels. By midday, according to official data, just under 35% of eligible voters had cast their ballots. By the early afternoon, that figure had climbed to 54%, already twice as many people as at the same point in 2021. By around 4pm, fresh figures put turnout at 65%, compared to just over 40% at the same point five years ago.
Which parties those votes will go to is, of course, not yet known. The first projections are expected shortly after 6pm.
Magdeburg, the state capital, is currently governed by a coalition of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU), Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and Free Democratic Party (FDP). The liberals, however, are polling at only 3% and are therefore effectively out of the running. The Social Democrats are still stuck on 8.5%, and the CDU on 23%.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD), with its lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund, has been ahead in first place for weeks. The latest polls put support for the party at around 41%. That would leave the AfD with roughly twice as many votes as at the previous state election. In Saxony-Anhalt, the state branch of the AfD, led by Siegmund, has been formally classified as strictly right-wing extremist by Germany's federal office for the protection of the constitution.
The other parties have ruled out any cooperation with the AfD. Under certain scenarios, that could produce a minority government, since the CDU has also formally ruled out a coalition with the Left. The first projection is due at 6pm on Sunday evening.
The Saxony-Anhalt election is also drawing considerable international attention. More than 800 journalists from around the world have been accredited for the day.
The next state elections come round in two weeks, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin.
