The AfD is poised to become the first far-right force to head a German state government since World War II in Saxony-Anhalt, with lead candidate Ulrich Siegmund. ^[1] The Landeskriminalamt Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (LKA) reported on September 5, 2026, that 230 people in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are currently classified as long-term missing. ^[2] All public theaters in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern issued a joint invitation for citizens to sing together in public spaces ahead of the state election. ^[3] German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ruled out cooperation with both the Left Party and the AfD. ^[4] Polls show the AfD expected to win more than 40 percent of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt, with the CDU at just above 20 percent, the Left Party at 12 percent, the Social Democrats at 7 percent, and the Greens at 5 percent. ^[5] The AfD's election platform, titled 'The Country First', calls for abolition of the right to asylum, confiscation of cash and assets of asylum seekers, mass deportations, prison sentences for insulting German identity, banning the Antifa movement, cancelling public broadcasting, and reversing the shift towards renewable energy. ^[6] According to the LKA, a person is classified as long-term missing if a search for them has lasted longer than three months. ^[7] The LKA stated that it cannot be assumed that all long-term missing persons are victims of a crime, as this depends on the circumstances of the disappearance and investigation results. ^[8]