Voters in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt will go to the polls this Sunday in a closely watched election. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is expected to win handily, potentially securing an outright majority and the strongest showing in the party's history.
If successful, the AfD would become the first far-right party to take power at a state level since World War Two. While Saxony-Anhalt accounts for less than 3% of the nationwide electorate, the outcome of the election could serve as a bellwether for the party's prospects in the rest of the country.
The AfD has run on a campaign of pro-Moscow and anti-immigrant rhetoric. Germany's domestic intelligence agency has categorized the party's Saxony-Anhalt branch as right-wing extremist.