By Kirsten Ripper & Euronews with AP, MDR
On Sunday, polls opened in the German federal state of Saxony-Anhalt in a key regional vote.
More than 1.7 million voters have until 6 pm local time to cast their votes in an election seen as an important test for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's federal coalition.
According to opinion polls, the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, led by its top candidate Ulrich Siegmund, is well ahead of the CDU, polling at more than 40%.
A large AfD victory would pile more pressure onto Merz and his increasingly unpopular coalition.
