A version of this article was first published by the German investigative outlet CORRECTIV
This Sunday, Alternative for Germany (AfD) could assume power for the first time ever in a German state – the highest office that any far-right party has occupied since the Nazi era.
The AfD is currently polling at around 40 percent ahead of the election in Saxony-Anhalt, one of five former eastern German states. The party’s regional leader, Ulrich Siegmund, has run a divisive campaign dubbed “Vision 2026”, which would target irregular migrants and ban display of LGBTQ+ flags in schools.
An outright win would also put the state’s energy and climate policy at risk. In its election manifesto, the AfD promises an “economic boom” for the area. But experts say the party’s hostility to renewables would raise energy prices and damage the local economy.
Up until now, Saxony-Anhalt has been a solar and wind power pioneer. In 2024, around 60 percent of the state’s electricity was produced by renewables, higher than the German national average for that year.
