AfD Surges in Saxony-Anhalt Polls, Faces Democratic Resistance and Troubling US Far-Right Links
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The extremist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is projected to capture around 42% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt’s state election, but a united front of democratic parties could prevent this far-right force from seizing power, as concerns mount over its radical agenda and ties to the reactionary US MAGA movement.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD), a party notorious for its xenophobic and anti-Muslim rhetoric, is leading in polls for Sunday’s state election in Saxony-Anhalt, with the Infratest dimap survey putting it at a disturbing 42% of the vote. Such a result would mark the first time since World War II that a far-right party could claim an absolute majority in a German state, a chilling prospect for democracy. However, the combined strength of other parties, totaling 54% in the same poll, offers hope that a coalition can block the AfD from power.
German intelligence has rightly classified the AfD as extremist, citing its hateful policies and rhetoric. Mainstream parties have upheld a principled 'firewall,' refusing to legitimize the AfD through coalition talks. If the AfD fails to secure an outright majority, this united democratic front could keep the far-right from governing Saxony-Anhalt.
The AfD’s alarming embrace of the US MAGA movement further highlights its reactionary agenda. The party has adopted slogans like “Make Germany Great Again” and arranged meetings between co-leader Alice Weidel and US officials such as Vice President JD Vance. Its foreign-policy spokesperson, Markus Frohnmaier, has openly praised Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant policies while criticizing some of his international actions, underscoring the AfD’s alignment with global far-right currents.
“I think there is ideological alignment on key issues, and I think the AfD is also learning from the MAGA movement,” said Almut Möller, director for European and global affairs at the European Policy Centre.
“It would be weird if Donald Trump would protect German interests,” Frohnmaier told CNN, acknowledging both overlap and divergence between the groups.
AfD candidates also push for closer ties with authoritarian Russia, oppose aid to Ukraine, and advocate for the return of cheap Russian gas—positions that undermine European solidarity and democratic values. Ulrich Siegmund, the AfD’s candidate for state premier, claims the party wants good relations with both the US and Russia, but always with a nationalist, isolationist bent.
Analysts warn that if the AfD gains power, it will likely target cultural and education policies, threatening to restrict LGBTQ+ symbols, rewrite school curricula to fit its ideology, and ramp up police presence, echoing the repressive tactics of other right-wing regimes.
A win would also grant the AfD a seat in the Bundesrat, Germany’s upper house, giving the far-right a dangerous foothold at the national level despite Saxony-Anhalt’s small population.