Sahra Wagenknecht has said her Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance could help the Alternative for Germany secure a state premier in Magdeburg by abstaining in a third-round ballot, a maneuver that would lower the threshold for an AfD candidate after the September 6 election.
The remarks follow earlier polling showing the AfD at 42 percent. A new Pollytix survey commissioned by Campact, based on 2,604 respondents interviewed between August 3 and 8, now puts the AfD at 43 percent, with the Christian Democratic Union at 23 percent and 13 percent of voters still undecided. AfD lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund is seeking a solo government with 45 percent or more.
The CDU, which maintains a formal incompatibility resolution barring cooperation with both the AfD and the Left, trails significantly. A separate YouGov survey found 47 percent of eastern Germans back AfD participation in government if it finishes as the strongest party without a majority.