- Polling locations commenced functioning in Saxony.
In Saxony, voting stations for the regional election kicked off at 8:00 AM. Some 3.3 million citizens have the opportunity to cast their ballots until 6:00 PM, electing the local parliament for the ensuing five years.
For quite some time, AfD and CDU have been neck and neck in the battle for the top spot. As per the latest surveys by Forschungsgruppe Wahlen and Forsa, CDU is currently leading with a 33% share, while AfD is trailing behind with 30-31%. Only a few days prior, an Insa survey indicated that AfD was in the lead. All major parties have openly denounced the notion of partnering with AfD, regarded as right-wing in Saxony.
The Alliance for Progress and Social Justice (BSW), spearheaded by Sahra Wagenknecht, has been making waves as the third most powerful force in the polls, with ratings of up to 15%, most recently at 12%. The SPD is also expected to secure a spot in the state parliament with a 6-7% share, as would the Greens with a 6% share. Predictions suggest that The Left may fall short of the 5% threshold.
At the previous state election five years prior, CDU clinched first place with a 32.1% share of second votes, surpassing AfD (27.5%). Minister President Michael Kretschmer (CDU) has been leading a coalition government with the Greens and SPD.
Post the voting booths closing, the initial predictions will be released, followed by the final forecasts in the evening.
In the current political landscape, the CDU and AfD are closely competing for dominance in Saxony. The CDU, as per recent polls, currently holds a slight lead over AfD in the regional election.
Despite the tight race, the CDU managed to secure the first place in the previous regional election five years ago, with a higher share of votes compared to AfD.
