‘Can no longer be stopped’: AfD races towards historic win in Germany state vote

Alice Weidel, co-leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), speaks during the election party at the party's headquarters in Berlin Germany, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025. Voting began in Saxony-Anhalt on Sunday in a closely watched state election that could see Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) make history by becoming the first far-right party to take power at state level since World War Two, with the party's 35-year-old lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund declaring its rise "can no longer be stopped".Around 1.7 million voters in the eastern German state have until 6pm (1600 GMT) to cast their ballots, with initial results expected soon after polls close. The election is being closely watched as a test of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's strategy of countering the AfD by adopting a tougher stance on migration and security.Recent polls have put the AfD at just over 40%, well ahead of Merz's Christian Democrats (CDU), who are on around 23%. The result could determine whether the AfD merely emerges as the strongest party or secures the outright majority it needs to break through the political firewall that has kept it out of government.AfD targets outright majoritySpeaking at the par...