The far-right and the far-left are expected to make unprecedented gains in upcoming state elections in eastern Germany, which could disrupt the implementation of federal migration and energy policies at the regional level while weakening mainstream parties just one year before the country's next general election. Three eastern German states -- Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg -- will elect new governments in September 2024, in elections that polls project will see populist parties from both the far-right and far-left gaining substantial support at the expense of mainstream, centrist parties. Voters will cast their ballots in Thuringia and Saxony on Sept. 1, and in Brandenburg on Sept. 22. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is polling at 18% nationwide, is currently in second place in Saxony at 30%, right below the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and first in Thuringia and in Brandenburg, where it is polling at 29% and...
