Photo Gallery Saxony-Anhalt Goes to the Polls

The eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt is holding elections on Sunday, but turnout is expected to be below 40 percent. Voters have been turned off by a non-aggression pact between the two main parties, the CDU and SPD, who plan to continue with their coalition government. The far-right NPD could benefit as a result of the growing disenchantment with democracy.
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The eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt is holding elections on Sunday, but turnout is expected to be below 40 percent. Voters have been turned off by a non-aggression pact between the two main parties, the CDU and SPD, who plan to continue with their coalition government. This photo shows the state parliament in Magdeburg, the state capital.

Foto: Peter_Förster/ picture-alliance / dpa/dpaweb
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The far-right NPD could benefit as a result of the growing disenchantment with democracy. This photo shows NPD election posters along a road in Saxony-Anhalt. The slogan reads: "Defend Yourselves!"

Foto: THOMAS PETER/ REUTERS
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The leading candidates of the state's two main parties, Reiner Haseloff of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (right) and Jens Bullerjahn of the center-left Social Democratic Party, prefer to make public appearances where they cook together rather than debate the issues.

Foto: DDP
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Haseloff and Bullerjahn are seen with the leading candidate of the Left Party, Wulf Gallert (center), on a TV show: The SPD has said it will not go into coalition with the Left Party, meaning a "grand coalion" with the CDU is its only option.

Foto: dapd
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A survey conducted by regional public broadcaster MDR reports that only 38 percent of Saxony-Anhalt residents are still interested in the election -- a drop of 6 percent from the last election in 2006, when Saxony-Anhalt set a national record for lowest voter turnout in a state election, at 44.4 percent.

Foto: dapd
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The Green Party's leading candidate is Claudia Dalbert. "People have the impression that the results were determined and the government posts appointed a long time ago," she says. "The CDU and the SPD are making fun of voters."

Foto: dapd
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An NPD election poster (top) reads "Criminal Foreigners Out!" Current polls show the extremist party getting 5 percent of the vote, the threshold that a party has to reach to hold seats in parliament.

Foto: dapd