Ulrich Siegmund, 35, is leading the AfD into Sunday’s Saxony-Anhalt state election as the party tries to win a majority in the regional parliament. A result of that kind would give the Alternative für Deutschland its first far-right state-level power in Germany’s post-war era.
This weekend’s vote has drawn attention across Germany because it could send a signal far beyond Saxony-Anhalt. It also carries political risk for Friedrich Merz, the embattled CDU Chancellor, if the far-right party turns its lead in the polls into seats.
Saxony-Anhalt vote and Merz
The AfD’s route is straightforward in theory and difficult in practice: it needs enough support in Sunday’s Saxony-Anhalt state election to control the regional parliament. The exact seat number needed for a majority is not stated, but the stakes are clear — a majority would convert polling strength into governing power for the first time at this level in Germany’s post-war era.
That is why Germany is watching the eastern election so closely. Voters in the east have voiced frustration with immigration, public safety, Germany’s struggling economy, high energy costs and aid being sent abroad to countries like Ukraine, and some supporters say the AfD offers a real chance for radical change. An AfD lawmaker once said that if the party got a shot at regional government, people would see the "sky won't fall in".
Ulrich Siegmund’s campaign
Siegmund has become the face of that push. Der Spiegel dubbed him "Germany's Most Dangerous Man", and he is often seen in social media posts among adoring crowds or riding a retro East German scooter. That image has helped turn him into a recognizable campaign figure for voters in Saxony-Anhalt and Germany who are tracking the election as a test of whether the AfD can move from protest politics to power.
The party’s pitch is also sharpened by its message of disruption, not gradual adjustment. The election framing matters because a majority would not just improve the AfD’s standing; it would give the party the ability to govern in Saxony-Anhalt and challenge assumptions about how far-right politics can travel in Germany.
AfD’s controversial circle
There is, however, a complication around Siegmund’s rise. He has brushed off reports that people previously in the neo-Nazi scene are among those holding influential roles around him. That tension sits at the center of the campaign: the AfD is seeking power while reports say people with that background are close enough to matter, and the party still wants voters to see it as a vehicle for change.
Some of the movement’s detractors say its plans for Saxony-Anhalt are highly controversial within Germany. The next judgment comes from Sunday's Saxony-Anhalt state election, which will show whether the AfD’s polling lead becomes a governing majority or remains only an opening in the east.
