Ahead of the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, where a victory for the AfD against the current political trend is widely anticipated, people across several cities took to the streets to demonstrate against what they term a far-right shift. In Halle (Saale), an “Antifa” demonstration drew over two thousand participants, an event that had been called for nationwide. Many of those present were dressed in black and masked, while police maintained a strong presence. In Magdeburg, the atmosphere was markedly different. A “Democratic Festival” was held, which, according to organizers, drew around 15,000 attendees. Police estimated the total number of people attending rallies in the state capital to be around 10,000, with approximately 8,000 of those gathered specifically on Domplatz.
The general expectation is that the AfD will emerge as the strongest party on Sunday. The remaining question is whether this strength will be sufficient to secure an absolute majority in the state parliament. If the AfD fails to achieve an absolute majority, the CDU is likely facing the challenge of forming a parliamentary bloc solely with the Left parties-a cooperation prospect that most observers consider politically impossible. Adding to the intrigue is whether the BSW or the Greens will manage to cross the five-percent electoral threshold, or perhaps even if the FDP will succeed. These smaller parties could prove to be the decisive factor in determining the final governmental alignment.
