Ticker state elections in Thuringia and Saxony: Will AfD become the strongest force?

A new state parliament will be elected today in both Thuringia and Saxony. The performance of the AfD is a particular national and international focus in the elections. In both federal states, the party is classified by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution as definitely right-wing extremist – and in both it could become the strongest force in today’s state elections. In Thuringia, the AfD has been polling at around 30 percent for weeks, well ahead of all other parties. State leader Björn Höcke is running as the top candidate here. At the beginning of June, Höcke was sentenced to a fine for the second time within a few weeks by the Halle Regional Court for the use of a banned Nazi slogan. According to the Meiningen Administrative Court, it has been legitimate to call Höcke a fascist since 2019. In Saxony, too, the AfD is achieving around 30 percent according to the latest polls – only the CDU is stronger with 33 percent, according to data from the opinion research institutes “Forschungsgruppe Wahlen” and “Forsa”. The governing parties SPD, Greens and FDP are threatened with a disastrous result in the state elections in Thuringia and Saxony.

The most important information, updates and projections for today’s state elections in Saxony and Thuringia can be found in our live ticker.