STORY: Voters in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt headed to the polls on Sunday (September 06) in a closely watched election that could see the Alternative for Germany (AfD) become the first far-right party to take power at a state level since World War Two.

Some voters on Sunday morning expressed their hope for an AfD win, another said the amount of votes cast for the far-right party was "cause for concern". Recent surveys place the AfD at just over 40%, followed by Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU) at 23%.

An absolute majority would allow the AfD to bypass mainstream parties' efforts to keep the party blocked out of power by refusing to work with it under a longstanding "firewall" policy.

Achieving an absolute majority is a high bar to clear in Germany's proportional electoral system, which was designed in part to encourage coalition governments and make it difficult for one party to rule alone.

If the AfD falls short of an outright majority, a CDU-led administration under incumbent state premier Sven Schulze is the most likely outcome, though the exact shape of any coalition would depend on which parties enter. Initial results are expected around 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) on Sunday evening shortly after polls close.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: TANGERMUENDE, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 06, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. OUTSIDE POLLING STATION, SIGN (German) READING "POLLING STATION"

2. CLOSE UP OF PEOPLE PUTTING VOTES IN BALLOT BOX

3. VOTING INSTRUCTIONS

MAGDEBURG, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 06, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

4. PEOPLE EXITING POLLING STATION

5. (SOUNDBITE) (German) VOTER, WOLFGANG KOEHLER, SAYING:

"Ah, it’s a mixed feeling. The established parties are going to have a hard time with all their warmongering. We’ll have to see how it turns out. I’m still undecided myself going in now. We’ll have to see. I need to read through it all first and have a look."

6. SIGN (German) READING "POLLING STATION"

7. (SOUNDBITE) (German) VOTER, ROBIN STAEBNER, SAYING:

"In any case, I’m worried. I have two children, and when I imagine a party like the AfD getting so many votes in Saxony-Anhalt, it’s cause for concern."

8. (SOUNDBITE) (German) VOTER (NAME NOT GIVEN) SAYING:

"I expect – or rather, I hope – that the AfD will secure an absolute majority; but I expect they won’t manage it. I expect a dirty coalition, and the state will become ungovernable."

TANGERMUENDE, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 06, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

9. CLOSE UP OF POLLING STATION SIGN

10. (SOUNDBITE) (German) VOTER, ANDREAS TEILE, SAYING:

"These elections are very important, not just for Saxony-Anhalt but for the whole country, because there must finally be positive changes that benefit the people, rather than working against them, as has been the case for many years now. After all, migration is getting out of hand. We have nothing against foreigners, even if we, as AfD voters, are branded as Nazis."

11. VOTE BEING PLACED IN BALLOT BOX