German State Parliament elections to be held in Saxony-Anhalt
Voters in Germany’s Saxony-Anhalt state will cast their ballots today for the new state legislature.
This vote will see Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) face off against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) for control of the eastern German state. In September, Germany will hold its federal election where Angela Merkel will step down as Chancellor; today’s selections will foreshadow the federal election. So far, the CDU has lost two state elections. Yet, Reiner Haseloff, Saxony-Anhalt’s incumbent CDU governor, has polled slightly ahead of the AfD.
Saxony-Anhalt is viewed as a key indicator of the CDU’s prospects in the upcoming September elections. Germany’s political landscape is split into two geographic spheres, the east and the west, and the CDU is trying to find footing against the AfD and Greens in both regions. With Merkel stepping down and the government’s mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic, the party has lost considerable support. However, the likely CDU win today may brighten the party’s outlook.
Armin Laschet, CDU’s candidate for Chancellor in September, will very likely use this support to steer the political narrative towards a future coalition government between the CDU and the Greens.
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