By midday, over a third of voters had cast their ballot in a critical election that polls suggest will see the far-right frontrunner Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) come first in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany. The turnout of 34.7%, according to provisional data from the regional election authorities, reflects intense interest in an election that has seen an insurgent AfD spark alarm and protests from political opponents and self-styled pro-democracy activists.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Only 22.4% had voted by this point in 2021, when citizens of what used to be part of Communist East Germany last elected their regional parliament. An outright victory for the insurgent nationalist party would pave the way for an AfD minister-president to lead one of Germany’s federal states. But the latest polling ahead of the regional election put lead candidate Ullrich Siegmund at just over 40%. While the far-right frontrunner AfD appeared unlikely to win an outright majority, there was considerable uncertainty as to what kind of alliance might keep them out of power as Saxony-Anhalt went out to vote on Sunday. Tension Siegmund was cheered by supporters as he arrived at his polling station on a Simson moped. Schulze was accompanied by his wife Kati as he turned out to cast his vote. Police in Magdeburg said they were well prepared for election day. Authorities had warned ahead of the vote about the possibility of disturbances in the evening as the results become clear.