Attacks on journalists spiked ahead of Saxony-Anhalt election

High number of attacks on media reported during campaign leading up to regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt.

Far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Saxony-Anhalt falls just short of absolute majority in elections.

Tensions and assaults on journalists documented in Saxony-Anhalt ahead of closely watched elections.

The campaign in the lead-up to regional elections in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt was marred by a high number of attacks on the media, the dju journalists' union reported on Wednesday.

Sunday's elections in Saxony-Anhalt, to the west of Berlin, were closely watched around the world, as they looked likely to produce the first far-right state government in Germany since World War II.

However, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party fell just short of an absolute majority, garnering 43.8% of the vote, but still far ahead of the conservatives of Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Tensions ran running high in the lead-up to the vote, with the dju documenting 46 assaults, intimidation and serious obstruction targeting media workers since May.

"What we are witnessing in Saxony-Anhalt is a systematic attempt to suppress critical public opinion," said Lucas Munzke of the Verdi trade union, the umbrella organization that includes the dju.

By contrast, Reporters without Borders recorded five attacks on media workers in Saxony-Anhalt in all of 2025.