AfD is striving for an absolute majority in Saxony-Anhalt by 2026!

AfD is striving for an absolute majority in Saxony-Anhalt by 2026!

Something is brewing in Saxony-Anhalt: The AfD has great ambitions for the state elections in September 2026 and is aiming for an absolute majority. The top candidate Ulrich Siegmund, who says he wants to lead the country alone, has already taken a clear stance and is ruling out a minority government. With voter approval of 39 percent, the AfD could really take off compared to the last election in 2021, where it only received 18.2 percent of the vote.

In the latest survey by Infratest Dimap, the CDU is ranked second with 27 percent, a loss of 10.1 percentage points compared to the 2021 election. The 46-year-old Economics Minister Sven Schulze is running for the CDU as the successor to the incumbent Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff, who will no longer be on the ballot in 2026. Schulze enjoys a high level of popularity at 94 percent, and 59 percent of those surveyed are satisfied with his political work.

Political mood and coalition plans

The political mood in Saxony-Anhalt is tense. Almost half of those surveyed (47 percent) would like a state government led by the CDU, while only 37 percent are in favor of an AfD government. Regardless of this, a coalition between all parties represented in the state parliament and the AfD would be unlikely, as none of the parties is considering cooperation with the right-wing populist AfD. In addition, possible cooperation between the CDU and the SPD with the Left or the Sahra Wagenknecht alliance would be necessary to prevent the AfD from taking over government, which is made more complicated by incompatibility decisions.

The other parties show a mixed picture: The Left has improved to 13 percent, while the SPD remains in the doldrums after a weak result of 7 percent. Armin Willingmann, who will be elected as the SPD's top candidate on Saturday, only has a satisfaction rate of 18 percent. In addition, the Greens are placed at 3 percent and the FDP under “others,” which doesn’t make the situation any easier for the established parties.

Outlook for the 2026 election

However, the latest polls also make it clear that such results are more like projections and do not represent definitive forecasts of the actual election result. Statistical errors of 1 to 3 percentage points cannot be ruled out, meaning the political landscape for next year's election could remain fluid. The institute determined a mean average deviation of 2.86 percentage points in the last state election in June 2021 - an indication that the voters' opinions need to be discussed.

Overall, the 2026 election in Saxony-Anhalt is likely to be exciting. Under the leadership of Siegmund, the AfD is not only planning to radically tighten migration policy, but also to withdraw from public broadcasting and terminate the State Broadcasting Treaty. It remains to be seen how the political landscape will develop between now and the election and who will ultimately come out on top.