The elections in Germany leave their first relevant data of the day in Saxony-Anhalt. The participation until 12:00 hours has reached 34.7%, according to the data communicated by the electoral official of the federal state.
The figure represents 12.3 percentage points more than in 2021. Five years ago, at that same hour, 22.4% of the electorate had gone to vote.
A participation much higher than in 2021
The increase in mobilization adds a new variable to an election that is being followed much beyond Saxony-Anhalt due to the possibility that Alternative for Germany (AfD) achieves an unprecedented result.
In the previous regional elections, held in 2021, the final participation reached 60.3%, including mail-in voting. The figure for this Sunday at noon still corresponds to a day with six hours of voting ahead.
The high participation does not allow for anticipating which party will benefit. In an election with significant vote movements and less party identification than in other German territories, directly translating a greater mobilization into a concrete result would be premature.
About 1.7 million people are called to vote
About 1.7 million citizens over 18 years old can participate in the elections of Saxony-Anhalt. The 2,130 polling stations will remain open until 18:00 hours, and until that moment, mail-in votes can also be submitted.
The electoral official of the state reported during the morning that the voting was proceeding normally and without disproportionate waits.
AfD arrives at the polls as the favorite
The mobilization takes on special relevance due to the position with which AfD arrives at the election day. The latest polls placed the party above 40% of the votes and with a wide lead over the CDU.
The decisive unknown is not only who will come in first. The distribution of seats and the possibility that smaller parties exceed or not the electoral barrier of 5% will determine whether AfD can approach an absolute majority or if the rest of the parties have a parliamentary combination to keep it out of the Government.
The polling stations will close at 18:00 hours. From that moment, the first estimates will be known, while the electoral authority expects to have the complete provisional result during the early hours of Monday.