AfD reaches 41% in Saxony-Anhalt state election poll, record high

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has reached a record 41% in a new Infratest dimap poll for Saxony-Anhalt, four months before the state election scheduled for September 6.

The poll, conducted for MDR, Volksstimme and Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, surveyed 1,164 eligible voters from Wednesday to Tuesday. The AfD gained two percentage points compared to the previous Infratest dimap survey in September 2025.

The CDU, led by state premier and lead candidate Sven Schulze, trails at 26%, down one point from the previous poll. The Left Party stands at 12%, also down one point, while the SPD is at 7%, unchanged. The Greens and the BSW each poll at 4%, with the BSW dropping from 6% in the previous survey. The FDP, currently part of the state governing coalition, is not separately listed due to low support.

Ulrich Siegmund is the AfD's lead candidate. The party, classified by the state Office for the Protection of the Constitution as a confirmed right-wing extremist group, would not win an absolute majority based on the poll. The CDU has ruled out a coalition with the AfD or the Left Party, leaving a minority government of CDU and SPD tolerated by the Left Party as a possible scenario.

62% of respondents said they are dissatisfied with the current state government (CDU, SPD, FDP), while 33% are satisfied. 82% rate the economic situation as less good or bad, with only 14% rating it as very good or good. The poll identified migration policy as the most important problem in Saxony-Anhalt, followed by education, economic policy, and unemployment. 31% of respondents said they trust the AfD most to solve the state's problems, compared to 18% for the CDU.

The record high for the AfD comes amid broader national trends: on May 3, a separate survey showed a majority of Germans expect the federal coalition to collapse before 2029, with the AfD leading in national polls.