AfD and Ulrich Siegmund projected to win up to 44.5% in Saxony-Anhalt

Exit estimates and election outcome

Initial projections from the regional election in Saxony-Anhalt on 6 September 2026 place Ulrich Siegmund and Alternative for Germany (AfD) between 44% and 44.5% of the vote. The result marks the highest share won by the party in any regional election since its formation in 2013. Siegmund celebrated the early figures on Sunday evening before crowds of supporters.

We have written history!

Prior to the vote, polling showed the AfD maintaining a lead of nearly 20 percentage points over the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The CDU is headed nationally by Chancellor Friedrich Merz and locally in Saxony-Anhalt by incumbent state premier Sven Schulze.

Siegmund's profile and campaign approach

Siegmund was born in the medieval town of Tangermünde in 1990, three weeks after German reunification, growing up during a period of rising East German nostalgia. After completing an apprenticeship in commerce and university studies in business psychology and corporate management, he founded an indoor fragrance company in Berlin before returning to Saxony-Anhalt. His political career began at age 19 with the Christian Democrats, but he later switched to the AfD and won election to the state legislature.

On the campaign trail, the 35-year-old cultivated an approachable image through village gatherings, beer giveaways, and appearances on a Simson moped, a traditional symbol of East German identity. Journalist Nils Schniederjann described Siegmund as bringing personal charm and a permanent smile to party rallies. Siegmund supplemented local campaigning with digital outreach, signing branded merchandise and accumulating over 500,000 Instagram followers compared to 11,400 for Schulze.

Policy positions and radical associations

Behind the friendly presentation, Siegmund championed a radical policy agenda centered on mass expulsions under the rubric of remigration and a regional cultural doctrine titled Thinking German. In 2023, Siegmund attended a private conference in Potsdam where attendees evaluated proposals to deport hundreds of thousands of people from Germany. Alongside his political associate Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, Siegmund authored an AfD governing manifesto for Saxony-Anhalt that proved more radical than the national party program.

Siegmund also appointed campaign advisors with ties to the banned neo-Nazi group Heimattreue Deutsche Jugend. Left-wing opponents warned that his mainstream image concealed an uncompromising far-right platform.

People only see the smooth appearance, but you have to look between the lines.

Public pushback and media reaction

Siegmund's bid to become the first far-right regional premier in post-war Germany prompted immediate demonstrations across the state. On Saturday, 5 September 2026, an estimated 6,000 protesters took to the streets in Saxony-Anhalt to oppose his party taking regional power.

German news weekly Der Spiegel previously published a cover story featuring Siegmund under the label of Germany's most dangerous man. Siegmund responded by releasing a video in which he autographed the magazine issue and pledged to disclose after the election how much money was spent on that publicity.