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AfD surge, internal strife and election polls

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2026-09-09 09:07 UTC → 2026-09-11 06:36 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The AfD continues to experience significant political shifts and internal friction. In Saxony-Anhalt, the party’s state association hired a right-wing activist with ties to the Identitarian Movement to manage its website, a move involving Dorian S. proposed by candidate Ulrich Siegmund. Siegmund has recently faced scrutiny after Spiegel magazine labeled him the ‘most dangerous man in Germany’, a description he dismissed as a ‘knighthood’. Internal disputes persist in North Rhine-Westphalia, where approximately 40 delegates led by Matthias Helferich are challenging candidate lists in the state arbitration court, alleging procedural errors and threats during an assembly in Marl. In Thuringia, Björn Höcke’s attempt to recruit Sahra Wagenknecht for leadership was rejected by Wagenknecht, who called the offer neither ‘honest nor serious’ and challenged him to a televised debate. In Saarbrücken, a court-ordered re-election saw the AfD emerge as the second-strongest force with 22.83 percent of the vote, securing ten seats in the 45-member assembly. This followed a previous election that was invalidated due to the party’s initial exclusion from the ballot. The CDU experienced a significant decline in the same region, dropping to third place. National polling indicates the AfD remains a dominant force. A recent INSA poll shows the party as the strongest political force in Germany with 28 percent support, despite a slight one percentage point drop. This comes amid high dissatisfaction with the government, with 78 percent of respondents expressing discontent with the black-red coalition and 77 percent dissatisfied with Chancellor Friedrich Merz. While supporters claim the AfD fills a vacuum left by the CDU, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified the party as a suspected case of right-wing extremism. Ahead of the September 20, 2026, state election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, polling indicates a significant lead for the AfD.

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