Magdeburg, 6 September 2026 (dpa/MIA) - Voters in Saxony-Anhalt are heading to the polls on Sunday in what could bring the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to power in one of the country's 16 states for the first time in Germany's post-war history.

Polling stations opened at 8 am (0600 GMT) in a closely-watched vote, as fears extend beyond the nation's borders that the stridently anti-immigrant extremists could gain an absolute majority.

Nearly 1.7 million citizens aged 18 and over are eligible to vote up until 6 pm.

Counting then begins, with the state returning officer expecting a provisional final result early on Monday morning.

Voters are choosing a new state parliament in Magdeburg. They have a first vote for a direct candidate, and a second vote for a party. The parliament then elects a state premier at a later date.

Opinion polls all show the AfD is well ahead of the conservative Christian Democrats in the eastern state. 

The anti-immigration party has been polling above 40% and is hoping to secure an unprecedented absolute majority of seats in the state parliament.

This would allow it to bypass the mainstream parties' infamous "firewall" against cooperation with the far right, catapulting the AfD and its charismatic lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund into government. 

Polls have shown the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) - who lead the current three-party coalition in Saxony-Anhalt - in a distant second place to the AfD, which has benefited from widespread dissatisfaction with Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government in Berlin. 

Whether the AfD can secure a governing majority will likely hinge on whether a trio of left-wing parties - The Left, the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Greens - pass the 5% threshold needed to win seats. 

The AfD's rise in the polls has come even as its branch in Saxony-Anhalt is under surveillance by intelligence services due to its "confirmed" extremist views. 

The party's manifesto includes setting up a task force to speed up deportations, reviving school exchanges with Russia, creating segregated classes for the children of asylum-seekers and banning rainbow flags in schools.

An outright victory for the AfD would unseat current CDU state premier Sven Schulze, and make the 35-year-old Siegmund the youngest state premier in Germany's history. 

It would also send shockwaves through the national political scene, with the party already leading in polls ahead of the next federal election, due to be held in 2029.