World News
AfD leads polls in Saxony-Anhalt ahead of September state election
The far-right party's proposed shifts to education and cultural funding face criticism as state elections approach in eastern Germany.
The short version
- The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party is leading polls in Saxony-Anhalt ahead of the state's September 6 election.
- If the AfD achieves an outright parliamentary majority, it would gain control of state public services, including policing, education, and culture.
- The party proposes reducing emphasis on the Nazi era in school curricula and restricting public funding for art deemed non-patriotic.
- Mainstream German political parties continue to rule out forming a coalition with the AfD.
Key facts
- The AfD is leading in polls ahead of the September 6 state election in Saxony-Anhalt.[BBC News]
- Domestic intelligence services in Saxony-Anhalt classified the state's AfD branch as right-wing extremist in 2023, citing anti-democratic and racist aims.[BBC News]
- The AfD's regional manifesto proposes shifting history education to focus more on the century prior to World War I and less on National Socialism.[BBC News]
- Ulrich Siegmund leads the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt and is positioning to become the party's first state premier if it wins a majority.[BBC News]
- Competing political parties have maintained a policy refusing to enter coalition governments with the AfD.[BBC News]
What remains uncertain
- It remains uncertain whether the AfD can win a full parliamentary majority, which is necessary to govern given other parties' refusal to form a coalition with it.[BBC News]
Sources
- Clash over Germany's Nazi past as far-right AfD poised for election breakthroughBBC News - Top Stories