Thousands of people celebrated a democracy festival in the state capital Magdeburg on the day before the Saxony-Anhalt state election. According to a police spokesperson, around 8,000 people gathered on the Domplatz on Saturday. The alliance "Sachsen-Anhalt weltoffen" ("Saxony-Anhalt Open to the World") said that more than 15,000 people had responded to the call and had set "a signal for democracy and solidarity." In the polls, the AfD, classified by the state Office for the Protection of the Constitution as confirmed right-wing extremist, holds a clear lead.
Participants in the democracy festival marched from the main railway station to the Domplatz. The call to take part stated: "As initiatives, associations, federations and individuals, we are taking a stand and standing up for respectful coexistence in our state. Present your initiatives and meet committed people from our diverse civil society." In the late afternoon, the organisers reviewed the event positively. The high level of participation showed that many people are ready to actively stand up for democratic values and against exclusion, they said.
The event was scheduled to run into the evening. According to the organisers, the performers included Kerstin Ott, Sebastian Krumbiegel and Juli. Among the speakers were the writer Carolin Emcke, the climate activist Luisa Neubauer and Holocaust survivor Henriette Kretz, as well as representatives of the AWO federal association, the DGB trade union confederation, the Protestant Church and the Magdeburg Refugee Council.
In total, eight assemblies were registered in Magdeburg on Saturday, according to police, among them a "Democracy Chain of Lights" and a "DemoCRACY Bike Tour" ("DemokRADtour"). In addition, several parties held their closing campaign rallies with federal politicians in attendance. Police were deployed in force and, according to the spokesperson, counted a total of 10,000 people across the eight assemblies by the late afternoon.
Saxony-Anhalt elects a new state parliament on Sunday. The most recent poll for the broadcaster ZDF, published on Thursday evening, puts the AfD at 41 percent and the CDU at 23 percent. The Left Party is seen at 11.5 percent and the SPD at 8.5 percent. The Greens could also return to the Magdeburg state parliament with 6 percent. The BSW and the FDP were below the five-percent threshold in the poll. Saxony-Anhalt is currently governed by a coalition of the CDU, SPD and FDP.
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